The Tree
by JRuss93
Summary: Over the past year, a certain red-headed inventor has had strange feelings for his best friend. One night, sitting in his favorite tree, Phineas resolves not to come down until he has puzzled out these strange feelings by looking back over the past year. K plus because there's no reason to rate it higher. Now complete!
1. Phineas' Musings

-Chapter 1-

Phineas' Musings

The tree. At first glance, nothing but an ordinary tree, but to those who had spent time under those branches, it was so much more. The tree where dreams were realized, imagination took flight, and the impossible was made possible. The tree where two certain young inventors, one with bright red hair, the other green, related only by law, and yet brothers as truly as any blood siblings there had ever been, began every summer day, along with their closest friends. The tree where currently, that same red-headed inventor was sitting, on the lowest branch, trying to puzzle out his very confusing feelings.

_ I have to figure it out tonight,_he thought to himself. _I need to know… how I, Phineas Flynn, truly feel about her. Do I truly consider her as my best friend, and nothing more? Or does what I feel now go beyond friendship? Ugh… I'm not getting out of this tree until I figure it out. I suppose the first thing to do would be to pinpoint exactly when I first started feeling this way. When was it?... Ah, that's it! Yes, thinking back, that must have been the first time I felt this way towards her…_

_(The first day of 8__th__ grade, almost 1 year ago)_

(Phineas' POV)

It had been an amazing day. Although I have some problems with school, namely that it takes time away from our projects like the ones we do every day in the summer, it was still a great experience. And the feeling of the first day of school, the feeling of embarking on a new adventure, was a great thing. We were done with class for the day, just one more trip to the locker to get homework out and store anything that I couldn't risk forgetting to bring to school the next day.

Then, I glanced over and noticed my neighbor and best friend, Isabella Garcia Shapiro. I found myself thinking about how blessed I am to have her as a best friend. _She's loyal, smart, creative, brave, tough, cute,- wait, where did that come from? I mean, she _is_ cute, but why was I thinking about that? _Looking at her,I started to feel this warm feeling in my chest. It's such a new feeling, yet it feels a little familiar, as if I've felt it before, just not as strongly. Or maybe I felt it once and forgot about it somehow. Either way, this feeling is strange, but I think that… I like it. I'm going to have to figure out exactly what's going on here.

I was so deep in thought that I barely registered Isabella turning to look over at me. I then realized that I'd been staring at her this whole time, and my face heated up with embarrassment. She smiled and blushed slightly. "Hey, Phineas. Whatcha doin'?" I felt my face heat up a little more.

"Umm, j-just thinking," I replied. _Well, that is true_.

"Hmm," She said, thoughtfully. Then she smiled again. "Whatcha thinkin'?"

I felt my face turn redder still. "I was thinking about how great it is having you as a best friend, Izzie," I replied, smiling. I could've sworn I saw a quick flash of disappointment in her eyes. _But why would that be? _I thought. Then it was gone, as quick as it came, and she was smiling again, as brightly as ever. _That was weird. Maybe I was imagining it. _

"Aww, thanks Phineas! That's so sweet!" she said. Then her eyes narrowed a little, like she was suspicious or confused. "Is that all you were thinking about?" She asked in a slightly-too-innocent voice.

My face turned red yet again. _Does she know I was thinking about something else? I can't just tell her, I mean, I'm not even sure what I was feeling, so I sure don't know what to say! _"Umm, y-yeah, why?" I said, unconsciously scratching my ear.

She walked a few steps closer and smirked, looking amused, and crossed her arms. "Phineas Flynn, I have known you for how many years, and you think I can't tell when you're lying or hiding something? Spit it out, what's on your mind?" She said.

_ Crud, of course she knows something's up! _"Well, I-I, um," I began, then stopped as I noticed that someone had walked up on the other side of Isabella's open locker door.

"You what?" she said, and then yelped in surprise as the person I had just noticed slammed her locker door noisily.

He looked like a stereotypical jock, short brown hair, tall and muscular, having a general air of arrogance about him. Right off the bat, he rubbed me the wrong way, which is odd, because I generally try to get along with everyone if I can, it's strange for me to dislike someone right away like this. The jock spoke, addressing Isabella.

"Hey Izzie, how's about you and me go out and do somethin' together, just the two of us, get this school year started out right?" he said, grinning smugly. _What's this guy's deal? Scaring Isabella, and then just asking her on a date out of the blue like that? Not to mention calling her by her nickname. I mean sure, I don't know _all _of her friends, but I don't think she even knows this guy! _As I was thinking all this, I began to feel this inexplicable cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know what it was, but I sure didn't like it. It was like it was the opposite of the warm feeling I had earlier. I found myself holding my breath waiting for her to answer, even though I was almost completely certain of what her answer would be.

She started to answer him, and I immediately perked up and listened to her. "First of all," she began, looking irritated at the boy, "only my best friends can call me Izzie, and I don't even know you. Second of all, how about not? Like I said, I don't even know you, so I'm certainly not going to go out with you! On top of that, I can already tell that you're _so_ not my type. So the answer is no!" As soon as she turned the guy down, I felt that cold sensation just wash away, replaced by intense relief. _Why am I so concerned with whether or not she goes out with someone, anyway? Am I just being protective of my best friend? That would be my first thought, but really, that's not what this feels like. I've protected her before, been afraid for her before, but it didn't feel like this. What could it be, though?_

I snapped out of my reverie, as the boy was talking again. "C'mon, I insist. It'll be a good time. I'm not gonna just take no for an answer." _What a jerk! As if he wasn't being a pain already, he has the nerve to ignore Isabella telling him no?! Seriously? _

I saw Isabella clench her fists and open her mouth to reply, but before I even realized what I was doing, I beat her to it, surprising myself as much as Isabella. "She already _said_ no. And I'm pretty sure she meant it, so you should just leave her be," I said. I was surprised by the tone of my voice, as well as the negative feelings inside me, as I'm really not used to either. Isabella gave me a surprised look, which was quickly replaced by a big smile and a look that I couldn't quite read.

The jock looked at me with surprise as well, then sneered at me. "Stay outta this, shrimp. Nobody asked your opinion."

Isabella glared at the boy, then turned to me and smiled sweetly. "Oh Phineas, would you please share with us your opinion on this matter?" She said.

I replied, having a hard time at first not chuckling at Isabella's slightly sarcastic response, but then quickly becoming serious. "Well Isabella, now that someone has asked my opinion on this, I think that since you have already clearly refused his request, he should respect your answer and leave well enough alone," I said, sounding almost cheerful at first, but with my tone quickly growing serious as I directed my words to the other boy.

The boy glared at me. "Look, I'm warning you, stay outta this, or I'll soon fix your wagon!"

"You try to fix his wagon, and I'll break yours," said a rough voice behind me. I turned to see Buford, Baljeet, and Ferb standing behind me. It was Buford who had spoken. (I have no idea when they arrived, it could've been anytime from when I started thinking about Isabella up till now. I really haven't been paying attention to my surroundings since then.)

"That doesn't even make sense!" the other boy retorted.

"It doesn't have to, I've got a monster truck!" Buford replied, grinning evilly. Buford's confidence caused a bit of nervousness to become evident in the boy, as his arrogant attitude faltered for the first time since he arrived.

"And the advantage of numbers," added a calm British voice. Anyone who didn't know Ferb well might have thought he sounded and looked very nearly as emotionless as usual, but my friends and I all knew him well enough to hear and see the small differences in his voice and face, and knew that he was none too happy towards the person pestering his friend and threatening me, his brother. The other boy didn't fully realize the emotion Ferb was showing, but the threatening undercurrent of his statement communicated itself, and, despite the British boy's less obviously muscular build (Ferb is actually quite strong, but it's more of a lean strength, one that comes with speed and agility to boot, and less of an "Angry wall of meat" type of strength.), Ferb's demeanor worried the other boy quite a bit more than Buford's statement, as it rightly should have.

"W-Whatever, you're not worth my time anyway, girl. I'm outta here," the boy said, turning and leaving hastily.

I saw Isabella clench her fists, and I saw anger in her eyes, mixed with a bit of hurt. I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her from making an angry retort. "Isabella, forget about him. _He's _the one who's not worth _your_ time."

Isabella sighed, and I could feel her tension draining away. "I know, Phineas, it's just, that whole thing was so frustrating, and then he goes and makes a remark like that. Even if he was just being a jerk, it still hurts a little, y'know?" She said.

"Yeah, I know," I replied. "But don't let it get you down. Just keep moving on and _Carpe Diem_!" I say, pumping a fist in the air.

She giggled, the intended reaction to my antics. "Thanks Phineas, I needed that." Then she smiled shyly and blushed. "Thanks for standing up for me, Phineas. It was really sweet of you," She said, and then hugged me.

My face turned red again, and that warm feeling came back, along with an accelerated heartrate. _What is this feeling? It's definitely caused by Isabella, but I already figured that out. It's happened both when we were talking and when we were in physical contact, and even when I was just around her, so it's not caused by one specific thing. _I sighed. _ I need to ask Ferb about this. I can completely trust him, and I think he'll have some idea what's going on. At least I hope so._ Isabella seemed like she needed a little more comforting after the encounter we just went through, so I hugged her a little longer than I normally would, and she didn't seem to mind at all.

"You'll notice, no credit for the ones who kept Dinnerbell from gettin' clobbered," I heard Buford mutter. "Oof!"

Ferb elbowed him and replied, "Shut up, Buford. Not a good time." Isabella let me go, almost seeming reluctant to do so.

I turned to Buford and Ferb. "Thanks for helping me out guys, that was great!" I said.

"Anytime, Pointy," Buford replied, grinning. Ferb just gave me his signature thumbs-up.

"Okay, let's get home and get to havin' fun before dinnertime! Not a minute to waste!" I shouted, and then ran off, hoping to get everyone back into our usual carefree mood.

"Phineas, wait up!" Isabella called after me, giggling and running to catch up.

"Alright, Buford's in!"

"Not without me you don't, Phin!"

"Wait for me, my companions!" called Buford, Ferb, and Baljeet in turn, quickly following after Isabella and me. _Well, that worked like a charm,_ I thought to myself, smiling.

(_Back in present time_)

_ Yep, that was definitely the first time I noticed those feelings towards Isabella. I kinda shrugged them off then, trying to get everyone cheered up, and I got so caught up in our project that day, I totally forgot to talk to Ferb then. But then I woke up in the middle of the night, remembering. I almost went back to sleep then, but I didn't want to forget, and I knew that Ferb, even though he would probably be cranky about being woken up at first, wouldn't mind terribly. He's always willing to help out his little bro. So that night I talked with Ferb about my feelings…_


	2. A Brotherly Talk

-Chapter 2-

A Brotherly talk

(_Phineas' bedroom, the night after the first day of school)_

(Phineas' POV)

_All of a sudden, I'm not so sure about this, but I have to talk to Ferb about it. It'll just keep bugging me if I don't. _"Ferb? You awake?"

I heard him sigh. "I am now, Phin. You know you can wait to tell me what we're doing tomorrow until it's actually tomorrow, right?" came the slightly exasperated reply.

"Actually, that's not what I wanted to talk about, Ferb." At this, Ferb sat up in his bed, already fully awake.

"It's not? Well then, what is it you wanted to talk about?" He replied, sounding slightly concerned. He knows I wouldn't wake him unless it were either about a project or really important.

"Well, Ferb… Today I started having this strange feeling around Isabella. It's really unusual, but it's not unpleasant at all, in fact it's really warm and comfortable. But I'm not sure what it is, only that it's definitely caused by Isabella, and it doesn't seem to be caused by any specific thing about her, because I felt it at different times, like when she hugged me, or when I was looking at her at one point, and even when we were just talking. It's like this feeling really is caused by her, but if that's the case, then why did I not feel like this until today?" Ferb listened patiently as I laid out my feelings, and remained quiet, thinking, for a moment after I had finished. I was a little out of breath, because I had been talking rather quickly.

Then he spoke up. "Phineas, I think I may know what you are feeling." He paused for a moment, as if considering what he was about to say. "But I cannot tell you what it is." _What? He knows what it is, but why on Earth won't he tell me? I've gotta know what's going on!_

"C'mon Ferb, why can't you tell me? If I don't figure this out, It'll just keep bugging me!"

"I'm sorry, bro, but I can't. If this is what I think it is, then it's something you really have to figure out on your own. Your feelings should develop on their own, and I think that you will understand what it is that you're feeling."

"But what if I can't figure it out, Ferb? I mean, this is important, right?" I had just realized, to my surprise, that part of my newfound urgency in figuring this out may have been coming from the fact that I honestly wanted to feel that warmth again.

Ferb began answering my question. "Yes Phineas, these feelings are definitely important, but if you rush this, it will make things worse. You need to find out in your own time what is in your heart. If I tell you what I think, that would likely lead you to jump to conclusions, which could be a very bad thing in this situation." I listened intently to his whole answer, but one thing stood out to me.

"Ferb, what do you mean by 'Find out what is in my heart'?"

Ferb sighed. "Phin, these feelings you're having come straight from your heart. You will not be able to figure them out with any scientific, factual, or mathematical approach. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to learn to listen often to your heart, and not always to your head, especially when you are around Isabella. In fact, when you're around her, I want you to focus on listening to your heart first and foremost. That includes if your head says to do one thing, and your heart says to do another. I want you to listen to your heart when you're around her. Just take it easy, carefully work out these feelings, and listen to your heart."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Ferb. I'm going to do my best. Thanks for waking up to talk to me and everything." My smile turned into an amused smirk. "Y'know, I think this may be the most I've ever heard you talk!"

Ferb returned the smirk. "Anything for my confused little brother."

I chuckled, and then lay back down. "G'night Ferb! Love ya bro!"

"Good night, Phin. Love you too."

And with that, I peacefully drifted off to sleep, thinking about our conversation…and about Isabella.

(_Present time_)

_That talk with Ferb set the tone for my dealing with these feelings ever since then. _Phineas thought to himself. _I've been taking it easy, trying to slowly understand my feelings, even as they grow stronger. I have been trying to take Ferb's advice and act from my heart, and it has worked, I believe, playing a part in the increasing development of my feelings. There was also another event not long after our talk that helped set the tone for the rest of the school year. Perhaps that is what I should focus on next..._

Unbeknownst to the redheaded inventor, as he was in the tree trying to puzzle out his feelings for the raven-haired girl across the street, that very girl was awake in her room, trying to do the exact same thing, that is, figure out Phineas' feelings for Isabella.


	3. Ferb's Musings

-Chapter 3-

Ferb's Musings

Ferb's POV

I cannot seem to get to sleep tonight. I truly hope I'm going about this the right way. For years, my brother has been surrounded by a shell of obliviousness. There have been moments where a flaw or chip in his shell has seemed to appear, a moment where he would seem to reciprocate Isabella's feelings for him, at least a little bit, but then afterwards everything seems to go back to normal. But now, for the first time that I have seen, a large, obvious crack has suddenly been opened in Phineas' shell. I do not want this opportunity to be wasted, but if I'm not careful, it could make things worse.

It is clear to me that Phineas is now developing feelings for Isabella as more than a friend, but I do not think it wise to come right out and tell him. Yes, it could break his shell wide open and cause him to realize that Isabella also has feelings for him, but I think it's more likely that his reaction would instead be one of denial, with him assuming that he could not be developing feelings for Isabella, who has been his best friend for so long. I do not want to do anything that would push my brother and Isabella further apart. And I certainly would not want to have to face Izzie after having done so, either.

So rather, I truly believe it best to simply encourage him to take it slowly, think on these feelings and try to understand them as they develop with time. And I told him to follow his heart more often, because he needs to understand that these feelings cannot be explained with cold science, cannot be catalogued and reproduced like a project or experiment. He will have to listen to his heart to understand these new feelings. And hopefully, he will heed my advice about making a point to act from his heart when he is with Isabella. I believe this would help him to understand his feelings more effectively, as well as giving Isabella hope, as his behavior may indicate to her his emerging feelings. Yes, in the end, I believe I have done the best I can for my brother. I can sleep easy with that knowledge.

**A/N: I'm psyched that I'm receiving positive feedback on this story already! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/followed! I'm glad there are people interested in this story, and I hope not to disappoint! I know this chapter is short, so I will probably add another one today. If not, then definitely tomorrow.**


	4. Isabella's Musings

-Chapter 4-

Isabella's Musings

(_In Isabella's house_)

_Oh Phineas, I wish I could figure out what's going on in that triangular head of yours_. Thought Isabella. _He's been so sweet and kind and caring this past year, but he's always been that way. Yet lately, it's seemed different. He's been acting differently towards me, in multiple ways. Like on the first day of school_…

(_The first day of 8__th__ grade_)

Isabella's POV

It was the first day of school. Honestly, I had mixed feelings about it. I mean, it's always great to learn new things. I do pretty well in my classes, there are some great extra-curricular activities, and my classes would provide plenty of challenges to overcome. But on the other hand, in so many ways, school has nothing on summer. Spending most of the day in a building instead of outside, having extra work to do even after being done at school for the day, and most of all, not having nearly as many amazing inventions from a certain redhead boy, my triangular savant, Phineas, were some of the reasons why. Still, on the plus side of that, if he's less occupied with his inventions, maybe I'll get to spend more time with him.

I was just organizing my locker and putting a couple of things away after classes were done for the day. Then I happened to turn and look at Phineas, two lockers down from mine. I noticed that Phineas was looking right at me, and I think his cheeks were just a little red. _Is Phineas… staring at me? Could Mr. Oblivious actually be noticing me? Hmmm. I could be overreacting. I'm gonna try something and gauge his reaction_.

"Hey, Phineas. Whatcha doin'?" His face turned redder. _Oh my gosh, he's actually blushing!_

"Umm, j-just thinking," he replied.

"Hmm," I said, thinking. _I'm not entirely sure I buy that. He sounds a bit nervous, and that's not like him. I wonder…_ "Whatcha thinkin'?" I said, smiling. His face turned even redder. _Wow, he's acting really unusual! Could he have been thinking about me?_

"I was thinking about how great it is having you as a best friend, Izzie!" He replied, smiling.

I felt my heart drop a bit in disappointment. _There he goes again, referring to me as just his best friend. I really shouldn't be sad about that, I should be happy to have such a sweet and loyal friend as him, even if he doesn't get my feelings for him._"Aww, thanks Phineas! That's so sweet!" I said, smiling again. _Still, that doesn't seem like something worth getting so embarrassed about. I can tell he's hiding something. Could he possibly be starting to like me as more than a friend, or even best friend? It almost seems too good to be true. I've come to expect that he wouldn't return my feelings for another couple of years at least! I promised myself that I would give him until the end of our freshman year in high school. If he doesn't tell me by then that he has feelings for me, then I'll tell him about my feelings for him by the end of the following summer. Still, that promise doesn't prevent me from trying to find out if he likes me…_I narrowed my eyes a bit. "Is that all you were thinking about?" I asked in my best innocent voice.

His face turned red again. "Umm, y-yeah, why?" He said, scratching his ear.

_Ah-ha! He's scratching his ear. He only does that when he's hiding something. He's so cute when he's nervous!_ I walked a few steps closer to him and crossed my arms, smirking. "Phineas Flynn, I have known you for how many years, and you think I can't tell when you're lying or hiding something? Spit it out, what's on your mind?" I said. I was calm on the outside, but inside I was so anxious to know what's got Phineas so nervous.

"Well, I-I, um," he began, then stopped and shifted his focus to something behind me. I was too preoccupied to really take note of this though.

_Come on, what is it? _"You what?" I said, and then yelped in surprise as my locker door slammed shut noisily behind me. _Yikes! What the heck was that?! _I turned to see a boy standing at my locker, grinning smugly. Short brown hair, athletic build, arrogant attitude. _Looks like a textbook stereotype jock. But what the heck was up with slamming my door like that? Talk about rude!_ Right away, this guy rubbed me the wrong way. I decided to do my best not to be rude to him. I try not to be rude to people in general, but it's not a good idea to get on my bad side, and this guy was off to a bad start.

The jock spoke up. "Hey Izzie, how's about you and me go out and do something together, just the two of us, get this school year started right?" he said, still grinning smugly.

_Wait, what?! Did this jerk seriously just ask me on a date? Right after scaring the living daylights out of me? I don't even know him! And he called me Izzie. Only my best friends get to call me that! Okay, calm down a little, remember that Phineas is here, so don't get too mad and don't say anything to give away how you feel about him. Okay, you can do this Izzie._ I spoke up, knowing that my irritation was showing but unable to do anything more about it. "First of all, only my best friends can call me Izzie, and I don't even know you. Second of all, how about not? Like I said, I don't even know you, so I'm certainly not going to go out with you! On top of that, I can already tell that you're _so_ not my type. So the answer is no!" _Okay, so that was probably a little rude. Ugh, this guy is getting on my nerves though!_

The jock spoke up again. "C'mon, I insist. It'll be a good time. I'm not gonna just take no for an answer." _Excuse me?! This guy's being a pain as it is, but now he's actually got the nerve to press the matter after I said no? Just how full of himself _is_ this guy? If Phineas weren't here, I'd have told him right off the bat that I'm taken, and left it at that. I mean, we may not be a couple, but in effect, I _am_ taken, because no other guy is going to win my heart. I'm so ticked at this guy now though, and I'm about to tell him that, regardless of the fact that Phineas is here. I don't know what else to do_.

I clenched my fists and opened my mouth to reply, but to my great surprise, Phineas stepped in! "She already _said_ no. And I'm pretty sure she meant it, so you should just leave her be," he said. _Oh. My. Gosh. Phineas Flynn is standing up for me! Standing up to a guy way bigger than him, at that!_ Phineas actually sounded… I don't know, angry? Upset? Hostile? I couldn't tell for sure, I had almost never heard any negative emotion in Phineas' voice before. Only a couple times, and only when he was under a great deal of pressure. For a moment, I was just taken totally by surprise, but then I couldn't stop a huge smile from breaking out on my face as I looked over at him, practically overjoyed that he was defending me. _If this weren't a serious situation, I think I'd faint_.

The jock looked surprised too, then sneered at Phineas. "Stay outta this, shrimp. Nobody asked your opinion." _Oh no he didn't! He just called my Phineas a shrimp! Okay, stay calm, you can do this without losing your cool._

I glared at the jock, and then turned to Phineas and smiled at him sweetly. "Oh Phineas, would you please share with us your opinion on this matter? I said.

He replied, sounding amused at first, but then becoming serious. "Well Isabella, now that someone has asked my opinion on this, I think that since you have already clearly refused his request, he should respect your answer and leave well enough alone," he said, sounding almost cheerful at first, but his tone quickly grew serious as he directed his words to the other boy, making it clear that the answer to my question was directed at him.

The boy glared at Phineas. "Look, I'm warning you, stay outta this, or I'll soon fix your wagon!" _Oh, that does it! Being rude was bad enough, but _nobody _threatens Phineas and gets away with it!_

I was getting really mad and might've said something I'd regret later, but before anything else could happen, I heard Buford's voice behind me. "You try to fix his wagon, and I'll break yours," Buford said. _Wow, now Buford's stepping in, too?_ This surprised me even more (But pleased me less) than Phineas standing up for me.

That doesn't even make sense!" the other boy retorted.

"It doesn't have to, I've got a monster truck!" Buford replied, grinning evilly. I noticed that the boy was starting to look a little nervous, and for the first time since he got here, he didn't look totally arrogant. _Finally! About time something threw him off!  
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"And the advantage of numbers," added Ferb's deceptively calm voice. I don't know Ferb as well as Phineas does of course, but I knew him well enough to sense the subtle threat in his voice, and see the slight glare in his eyes. He was none too happy with the person threatening his brother. The other boy didn't know Ferb, but like everyone else at school, he had probably heard of Ferb. Despite not being familiar with Ferb's manner of communication, the threatening undercurrent of Ferb's voice communicated itself perfectly well. I could see that the other boy was more worried by Ferb than Buford. Smart of him. Ferb is someone you most certainly don't want to mess with. And you really don't want to mess with his brother.

"W-Whatever, you're not worth my time anyway, girl. I'm outta here," the boy said, turning and leaving hastily. _Okay, even if he's just being a jerk, that still stings a little. Ugh, that guy is such a creep!_

I clenched my fists and opened my mouth to make an angry retort, but I stopped as I felt Phineas' hand on my shoulder. "Isabella, forget about him. _He's_ the one who's not worth _your_ time." He said. I sighed. _He's so sweet. I'm starting to feel better already. Still…_

"I know, Phineas, it's just, that whole thing was so frustrating, and then he goes and makes a remark like that. Even if he was just being a jerk, it still hurts a little, y'know?" I said.

"Yeah, I know." He replied. "But don't let it get you down. Just keep moving on and Carpe Diem!" He said, pumping a fist in the air. I giggled in reply. _I get the feeling he did that just to make me laugh. He always knows how to cheer me up, and he's so cute when he gets all enthusiastic._

"Thanks Phineas, I needed that." I smiled a little shyly and was now blushing a little, thinking of what I'm about to do. "Thanks for standing up for me, Phineas. It was really sweet of you." I said, then hugged him. I sighed again._ I get such a warm, happy feeling whenever I'm in contact with Phineas. _After a few seconds, I started to pull away, but then I realized he was still holding on to me tightly. This was surprising, but I certainly wasn't going to complain about getting to hug Phineas a little longer. _Is he doing this just to comfort me, or because he likes me? Comforting me is just the kind of thing he'd do, but I think I can feel his heart beating, and it feels faster than normal. _I heard Buford mutter something, and heard Ferb reply, but I didn't pay it much attention. We pulled apart, a little reluctantly, and I noticed that Phineas was blushing! _Maybe he was hugging me because he likes me? But if that's the case, I wonder if he even realizes it? If not, that might explain some things. _

He thanked Buford and Ferb for helping him out, then suddenly perked up."Okay, let's get home and get to havin' fun before dinnertime! Not a minute to waste!" He shouted, and took off running. I giggled at his unique antics._ There he goes again, right back to his usual enthusiastic, cheerful, adorable self! _I called out after him and took off running. I heard our friends do the same behind us, and we all ran off, towards another adventure! I sighed once more. I'd been doing that a lot today. _ Phineas is about the best friend you could ask for. Life's certainly never dull around him. And hopefully, one day, he'll be more than just a best friend. I really hope so._

(Present Time)

(_In Isabella's house_)

Isabella sighed. _He was so sweet and protective that day, but I just don't know if it's him being a good friend like he always has, or if he finally likes me as more than just a friend, even more than as a best friend. After that day, he seems to have started acting different around me on a regular basis. Maybe he really does like me? I just don't know. But I'm going to try and figure it out. I really want to find out tonight… Before I turn 14 tomorrow. I want to know, if I can, how Phineas really feels about me before I hit that milestone._

**A/N: Here's a second chapter for today, because the last one was so short. I suppose it was probably obvious, but this chapter is basically the same event as the flashback in chapter 1, but from Isabella's side. Not all of the story will be like this, but I believe there will be 2 or 3 more pairs of chapters like this, and this story will be about 16 chapters.**


	5. The Plan

-Chapter 5-

The Plan

(The last day of the first week of school)

Phineas' POV

"Wait, you mean someone else asked you out, too?"

It was the end of the first week of school, and we had all met up at our lockers to discuss how our week had been and start planning out our weekend. Isabella had just mentioned that another guy had asked her out that day, while she was on her way to lunch, one of the few times of the day when no one else from the gang was with her. This both surprised and worried me, as I remembered what had happened the last time, earlier this week.

"Well, yeah. I told him no." She replied. "He took it alright though, and just left." She added, possibly knowing that I would be thinking of the previous incident.

"Well, that's good that he took no for an answer," I said. _I'm also glad that you said no. Wait, what? Why am I so relieved that she said no?_ I decided to think about that later, because something else is on my mind. "Hey, Isabella…" I began, a little awkwardly. This isn't the most comfortable subject for me.

"Yes, Phineas?"

"Does it bother you that these guys you don't even know keep asking you out? I mean, would you rather they not?" I asked.

"Well…" She began, looking a little awkward and confused. _Uh-oh, I hope I'm not making her too uncomfortable._ Then her face seemed to brighten a bit, and she continued. "Yes, I would rather they not. I mean, I'm certainly not going to go on a date with someone I don't even know." I felt a huge wave of relief at this. _Why do I feel so happy about this? She's my best friend, I should be happy for her if she finds someone she likes, right?... right?_/ subconsciously left that question unanswered, and forced my brain to move on and keep up with the topic at hand, as Isabella continued talking.

"Why do you ask?" She said, and I felt my face heat up a bit. _Ugh, why do I keep doing that? It makes it hard to focus!_

"W-well, I was thinking, if you wanted this to quit happening, maybe we could set up a system where you won't be alone between any of your classes. As it is now, at least one of us is with you most of the time, but not all the time. I think you should at least have someone to back you up, incase another guy like that one from Monday comes along. I wouldn't want you to have any trouble in a situation like that, Isabella."

As I finished, Isabella got a big smile on her face, as she replied. "Aww, that's so sweet of you, Phineas! You'd really do that just for me?"

"Of course, Izzy!" I answered. She got a look on her face that I couldn't quite read, but I felt my face heat up again and my heartbeat picked up a little. In my nervousness, I started talking again before I fully thought about it. "W-we've got to look out for our friends, r-right?" I said, and Ferb gave me a look that, oddly enough, seemed slightly amused. Isabella looked a little less happy all of a sudden. Then something clicked. _Darn it! The way I said that might have made it sound like I just see her as any other friend. I've got to learn to think better when I'm nervous. Why did I get so nervous anyway? She's my best friend! _

I was trying to figure out a way to reword what I had said without making a fool of myself, when, surprisingly, Ferb spoke up. "You know, I think I have a slightly better idea. It might take a little effort, but I think it would work well."

"What is it?" Isabella and I said at the same time.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Isabella said. _Darn! She beat me to it._

"Anyway," Ferb began, smiling slightly, "I think it would be better if just one of us specifically were with Isabella between each of her classes, with us all being together just at certain times, like at lunch or in free period."

"Why is that?" I asked Ferb, while Isabella just looked at him with an unusual expression.

He continued explaining. "Well, it is my observation that a guy is less likely to ask a girl out if that girl is with one specific boy, especially if they are seen together often, on their own, and not just as part of a group, like the five of us. And I think it would be best if it were you, Phineas. You two already share the most classes, plus you are her closest friend, out of our group." Ferb's plan made sense. I didn't really get what he meant about guys being less likely to ask her out if she's only with one friend, but Ferb sounded like he knew what he was talking about. A_nd I'm happy about the idea of getting to spend more time with Isabella. Just the two of us… There I go again with these out-of-place thoughts! My concentration has been messed up all week. Why is that? _

I heard Ferb speak up again, and realized that I hadn't said anything about the plan. "Well, what do you think?"

_I'll have time to think about this later! Respond to Ferb now. _"That sounds like a great plan!" Isabella and I said at the same time. She looked a bit surprised, and her cheeks turned a little red, and I could feel my face heat up again.

I quickly said something to dispel the awkward moment. "Jinx! Now you owe me a soda!" _She thinks it's a great idea too! Maybe she just meant because it'll get these guys to leave her alone, but maybe she was happy about the idea of spending more time with me? That would be nice… _

"No I don't! Now we're even!" She replied, grinning.

"Or we each owe the other a soda! Do you want to stop and settle that account on our way home from school or something?" I replied, grinning back. _Whoa! Where did THAT come from! That came out without me even thinking. Logically, that's the same as if we each got our own soda. But something tells me it's not the same… Is that my heart speaking? Maybe it is._NowIsabella looked really happy_. She's even cuter when she's happy. Focus!_

"YES! Umm, I mean, I mean, yeah, sure, you know, whatever. It's all good bro," she replied. _That was weird. She totally changed what she was saying. Or at least how she said it. Well, she still looks happy, so I guess everything's still good._

"Great! Isabella, I know what we're gonna do after school today!" I said happily, grinning at her.

"Yes, yes you do," she replied happily. _She likes the idea of going to get a soda with me! I don't fully understand why, but that makes me really happy. I'm having that warm feeling again today, talking to Isabella. It's… a really nice feeling. It's still strange, but I've decided that I definitely like it. I hope I'm doing alright at listening to my heart. _As I was thinking, I glanced over at Ferb, who gave a little smile and winked. I took that as a sign that I was doing well. Although, from what Ferb said, it seemed a little counter-intuitive to try and gauge how well I was listening to my heart. _Hey, this is mostly new to me. I need a little slack._

I heard Buford say something, but I didn't hear what it was. I realized then that I had been so focused on talking with Isabella, I was noticing very little of what was going on around me. _Wow, I was really focused on her. Is this part of the new feelings I'm having? It could be a bit of a problem if I can't concentrate on anything else, I mean, what if I zone out while I'm building something? Not that I don't enjoy focusing my attention on her… Ugh, see? That's exactly what I mean! Maybe once I get used to these feelings, my concentration will improve. I'll just give it a little time. Now, what was Buford saying? _"Sorry Buford, what was that?" I asked.

"Umm, n-nothin' important, Pointy! Don't mind me!" Buford replied, looking a bit nervous. I noticed that everyone else was looking at him too. _That's weird. Wonder what on Earth he said? Well, I guess it's not that important. Probably one of those random, philosophical, un-bully-like things he says from time to time._

"Okay!" I replied, as I snapped my fingers.

"Well, I suppose we had better get going. We've a lot to do, and you two still have a stop to make on the way home." Ferb said, looking at Isabella and me.

"Yes, let us get going, everyone!" Baljeet said.

"C'mon, Dinnerbell, Girly, you comin' or what?" Buford added.

"Oh. Right! We better get going! Let's go Isabella!" I said, then grabbed her hand and pulled her along. _That feeling got even stronger when I grabbed her hand. It's a really nice feeling, but it's also making my heartbeat pick up and my face heat up. I should let go before I get too flustered._

"Alright, I'm coming Phineas!" Isabella said, smiling and giggling.

"Well yeah, now you are! See if you can keep up though!" I replied, also giggling, as I let go of her hand and kept running.

"Hey, get back here!" Isabella called, picking up her pace to keep up with me. i_I kinda wish I could've held onto her hand longer. It was such a nice feeling. I think… somewhere, in the back of my head, maybe I have some idea of what this feeling _could _be, but I don't think I should dwell too much on a specific idea. Ferb's advice has been great so far, I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll wait until I'm more familiar with all of this, and then I'll start thinking about that. For now, though, It's time for me to go have fun with my friends! After spending some time alone with Isabella._/iI sighed contentedly. i_Yep, today is gonna be a great day._/i

(Present time)

i_That day was definitely another important step in the development of my feelings toward Isabella, and the first time I had an idea of what they could be. Still, it took quite a while for me to further understand these feelings. At this point, I'm fairly sure, but even now I'm not 100% sure. Which is why I'm here, in this tree. If there's anywhere I can figure out what's in my head, it's here. After all, that's what I've used this tree for over the past four years at least! Figuring out what's in my head._

_ Not much happened on our trip to the soda shop. It was a kinda old-timey soda shop, one that sold sodas in those nifty little glass bottles with the metal caps, complete with a straw. Izzy and I ordered our sodas, and paid for each other's, both of us blushing slightly. We had a seat and drank our sodas in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. We just felt like there was no need to talk much, though we did talk a little about random things like the weather and how good our sodas were. When we weren't talking, I still kept glancing over at Isabella, sometimes I'd look over at her and she'd be looking at me, then she'd blush a little and turn away, or vice-versa. After a little while, I was starting to feel rather awkward, so I suggested that we work on our plan for setting up our in-between class school schedule. Isabella seemed slightly disappointed but also a bit relieved, and I realized I felt the same way, like I was glad to have something else to focus on, but a part of me didn't want the feeling I had during that time to go away. After working on our plan for a little while, we decided to head home and check on Ferb and the others. After that, the day followed its usual pattern: Build (or in this case, finish building) the invention, have fun with it, and watch it disappear mysteriously, much to Candace's dismay. Another typical extraordinary day._

_ After that, the school year fell into a sort of pattern. We went about our classes and inventions as usual, and Isabella and I were together more often, and together alone a lot more often than we ever were before. My feelings grew steadily stronger, and I began to understand my feelings more. And it all led up to one very important incident, on the last day of school. The day I had a revelation..._

**A/N: Another chapter, and the plot thickens... Lol, Ferb still has to help work around/with Phineas' obliviousness. His obliviousness is another thing I was worried about getting off, but really, with some of the hints he's missed, I think it's fair to say that he's dang oblivious. Thankfully, though, that obliviousness is slowly fading, a bit at a time. :3**


	6. Hope

-Chapter 6-

Hope

(The last day of the first week of school)

Isabella's POV

"Wait, you mean someone else asked you out, too?" Said Phineas, sounding a bit surprised. It was the end of the first week of school, and we were all at our lockers, discussing how the week had been before planning out our weekend. I had just told Phineas that another boy had asked me out while I was on the way to lunch today. That was the only time in the school day when no one from our group or even any of the fireside girls were with me. Thankfully, this boy wasn't anything like the one from Monday. This boy was nice, and a bit shy and nervous. He didn't push the matter after I told him no, either. I felt a little bad about turning him down, but I'm already taken. My heart belongs to Phineas. I'm not about to give up on him, especially after what happened on Monday.

"Well, yeah. I told him no," I replied, then realized he looked a little worried. _I'll bet he's thinking about Monday. Aww, he's worried about me! That's so sweet!_ "He took it alright though, and just left," I added. That seemed to ease his worries.

"Well, that's good that he took no for an answer," Phineas said. The way he phrased that seemed odd, but I didn't pay it much mind, as he looked like something was on his mind. _I wonder what could be bothering him?_

"Hey, Isabella…" he said a little awkwardly, sounding uncomfortable. I was a little worried by his demeanor; he's not often like this.

"Yes, Phineas?"

"Does it bother you that these guys you don't even know keep asking you out? I mean, would you rather they not?" He asked. _Wow, I wasn't expecting that at all. Why is he asking? Is he just concerned about me, or is there something more? And how do I answer that without either giving away my feelings for him or seeming completely disinterested? I don't want him to think I wouldn't have feelings for him. That would make things even more difficult._

"Well…" I began awkwardly, and was still a bit confused by the sudden question, when suddenly the right wording came to me. I brightened up a bit and continued. "Yes, I would rather they not. I mean, I'm certainly not going to go on a date with someone I don't even know." _Perfect. The only guys asking me out are the ones I don't know. Anyone that I actually know realizes that I'm not going to be with anyone besides Phineas, and "People I don't know" absolutely does not include Phineas in the "People I'm not going to go out with" list._ Phineas looks really relieved for a moment, which takes me by surprise. _Why would he be relieved? Does he not want me going out with another guy? Could it be? If so, is he just concerned for me, or does he actually have feelings for me? Either way, I expect he had more of a reason to ask that than just curiosity._

"Why do you ask?" I said, and he started to blush a bit.

"W-well, I was thinking, if you wanted this to quit happening, maybe we could set up a system where you won't be alone between any of your classes. As it is now, at least one of us is with you most of the time, but not all the time. I think you should at least have someone to back you up, incase another guy like that one from Monday comes along. I wouldn't want you to have any trouble in a situation like that, Isabella." _Oh my gosh, he is so sweet! He's willing to set up a whole system, and modify his schedule, just so I won't be bothered by other boys! I wonder if he even realizes how romantic his offer is._

A huge smile grew on my face as I replied. "Aww, that's so sweet of you, Phineas! You'd really do that just for me?"

"Of course, Izzy!" He answered. I looked at him a little dreamily, and he started to blush again, starting to look nervous. "W-we've got to look out for our friends, r-right?" He said, and I felt my heart drop a bit. _Not really where I was hoping that would go._ I noticed that Ferb was looking at Phineas with a slightly amused expression. _Does he know something I don't? Well, he _is_ Ferb. He catches a lot of stuff that most people don't. Well, Phineas _was _stuttering a bit, I wonder if maybe he just got nervous, and said something without thinking? Phineas doesn't always do well under pressure. Like that time on the deserted island with the big fat ox… he hugged me that day… okay, now's not the time to reminisce. Focus!_

Phineas looked like he was thinking hard about something, and I was trying to decide whether or not to ask about it, when Ferb spoke up, surprising me. "You know, I think I have a slightly better idea. It might take a little effort, but I think it would work well."

"What is it?" Phineas and I said at the same time.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" I said. _Ha, beat him to it!_

"Anyway," Ferb began, smiling slightly, "I think it would be better if just one of us specifically were with Isabella between each of her classes, with us all being together just at certain times, like at lunch or in free period."

"Why is that?" Phineas asked, as I looked at Ferb with both confusion and suspicion. _What is he up to?_

He continued explaining. "Well, it is my observation that a guy is less likely to ask a girl out if that girl is with one specific boy, especially if they are seen together often, on their own, and not just as part of a group, like the five of us. And I think it would be best if it were you, Phineas. You two already share the most classes, plus you are her closest friend, out of our group." _Whoa, what? Is he setting us up? Ferb is actually arranging for me to get to spend time alone with Phineas! And this isn't just a one-time thing, like when he stayed behind so I could be alone with Phineas on my 11__th__ birthday, this is an every day thing! Oh my gosh, getting to spend time alone with Phineas every day would be so amazing! If he goes with the plan that is, and doesn't try to pull the whole gang into it. Though Ferb has done as much as he can to avoid that, I think._

I was so lost in thought (And daydreaming) that I forgot to reply to Ferb, and next thing I knew, he was talking again. "Well, what do you think?"

"That sounds like a great plan!" Phineas and I said at the same time. I looked at Phineas, quite surprised that he replied as quickly and enthusiastically as I did, and I blushed, as did Phineas.

Phineas quickly spoke again. "Jinx! Now you owe me a soda!"

"No I don't! Now we're even!" I replied, grinning. _He thinks it's a great plan! He didn't even say a thing about including Ferb or anything! Does that mean he _wants _to spend more time alone with me? I hope so!_

"Or we owe each other a soda! Do you want to stop and settle that account on our way home from school or something?" He replied, grinning back. _Whoa, where did that come from?! Phineas just asked me to go and get a soda with him on the way home from school! He's never done anything like that before. And knowing Phineas' mind, he totally knows that getting each other a soda is technically the same as us each getting our own. Mr. Science wouldn't normally suggest something like that. He actually wants to go do something with me! I'm so happy!_

"YES! Umm, I mean, I mean, yeah, sure, you know, whatever. It's all good bro." I replied. _ I don't want to sound too obviously enthusiastic, even though I'm totally excited. I didn't catch myself in time, but I'd still be surprised if he noticed. He hasn't anytime before, like the time he asked me to go to the city of love with him. But still… maybe things are a little different now. These past few days make me think that things are changing, after all._

Phineas looked perplexed, as if he actually had caught my slip-up, but it only lasted for a moment, then he was back to normal. "Great! Isabella, I know what we're gonna do after school today!" He said, grinning at me and sounding rather happy. _Aww, he used one of his main catchphrases on me! He almost always only uses that one with Ferb._

"Yes, yes you do," I replied happily, using another one of our favorite catchphrases.

Phineas looked really happy, and for a moment his gaze shifted to somewhere else. Before I could figure out what or who he was looking at, I heard Buford saying something, sounding as though he was attempting to talk quietly but failing badly. "So, Dinnerbell finally asked Girly out?" I immediately shot Buford a glare, as did Ferb. Buford looked very nervous all of a sudden, and I could tell he got the message, hopefully not too late.

"Sorry Buford, what was that?" Phineas asked, sounding a bit distracted. _Thank goodness, he didn't catch that! That would've been awkward. But he was too focused on… wait, what _was_ he so focused on? All he was doing was talking with me. Was that what had his attention so completely?_

In the midst of my relief, I was still looking at Buford, not glaring, because Phineas was paying attention now. But the message still got across. "Umm, n-nothin' important, Pointy! Don't mind me!" Buford replied.

Phineas looked curious, but thankfully didn't press the matter. "Okay!" He said, snapping his fingers. _Catchphrases everywhere today, it seems._

"Well, I suppose we had better get going. We've a lot to do, and you two still have a stop to make on the way home." Ferb said, looking at Phineas and me.

"Yes, let us get going, everyone!" Baljeet said.

"C'mon, Dinnerbell, Girly, you comin' or what?" Buford added.

"Oh. Right! We better get going! Let's go Isabella!" Phineas said, then grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

"Alright, I'm coming Phineas!" I said, smiling and giggling. _Oh my gosh, he's holding my hand! And I think he's blushing again, too. He's been doing that a lot lately. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was in Phineasland again, but somehow, I can tell that I'm not._

"Well yeah, now you are! See if you can keep up though!" He replied, also giggling, as he let go of my hand and kept running.

"Hey, get back here!" I called, picking up my pace to keep up with him. _Darn, I wish I could've held his hand a little longer. Still, I'm happy that it happened at all! His face is really red, I wonder if he let go because it was making him too nervous. He's never been nervous before when he's held my hand, though. Yet another new thing. I'll think more about that later, though. Now it's time to enjoy the rest of the day! First, I get to spend some time with Phineas, then we get to work on another awesome invention! I couldn't ask for much more in a day._

(Present time)

_That day was another time when he acted particularly different than normal. The way he kept getting nervous, how he practically jumped at the chance to be with me throughout the school day, he even took my hand! Not to mention that he asked me to go get a soda with him after school. Just the two of us._

_ The trip to the soda shop was an interesting experience. We ordered our sodas, both blushing a little as we paid for each other's. The guy at the counter seemed amused at this, but he didn't say anything, and I don't think Phineas noticed. We sat down and just enjoyed each other's company. We didn't talk much, and when we did, it wasn't about anything important, just little things like the weather and how good our sodas were. I was so happy, getting to spend this time alone with Phineas. I don't think I'd been so happy since the time we went out for ice cream on my 11__th__ birthday! When we weren't talking, I kept glancing over at Phineas, and I noticed that he kept glancing over at me, too! When he saw me glancing at him, I'd blush and look away, but sometimes I'd glance over and he'd already be looking at me, and he'd be the one to blush and look away. After a little bit of this, Phineas suggested that we work on our plan for our in-between class schedule. I could tell he was feeling awkward, and was probably trying to do something to distract from that. I was a little disappointed, but also a bit relieved. I realized then how awkward the situation had been making me feel. Phineas looked like he felt the same way too. A little later, we decided to head to Phineas' house and check on Ferb and the others. After that, the day followed the usual basic pattern: Build the invention, enjoy it, watch it disappear without a trace, and watch Candace fail to get Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher to see it. There's no such thing as an ordinary day with Phineas and Ferb, every day is an extraordinary new adventure, but there is a certain general pattern most days tend to follow. What Phineas would call a typical extraordinary day._

_ After that day, the rest of the school year fell into a fairly regular pattern. We went about our classes and inventions as usual, but with one major change. I got to be with Phineas, and in particular, with only Phineas, much more often than I ever had before. It made for an amazing school year. Phineas still acted different around me, but he seemed to grow slowly less awkward around me, like he was getting used to whatever made him so nervous around me. I really enjoyed getting to spend all that time with him, but I'm still unsure as to how he feels about me. If it was him starting to like me that made him so nervous, why did he grow less nervous around me? Was he getting used to his feelings, or were those feelings fading? I can't be sure, but I do have hope. Hope that he really has started to see me as more than just his best friend. His actions have given me that hope. Especially his actions during one particular incident, on the last day of school…_

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday! Busy day, working on a paper for finals. This is another paired chapter, this time Izzie's view of chapter 5's flashback. Next chapter will be another "Musings" chapter, a fairly brief introspection by another character. Metaphorical cyber-cookies to anyone who correctly guesses who!  
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	7. Perry's Musings

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story! It makes me really happy to know that people are interested in this story and enjoy it! Especially the reviews, as they let me know what you all think about the story, not just that you like it. Also, this story now has over 1,000 views, and has ten follows! :D (Multiples of ten are fun XD ) Anyway, I'll shut up and let you read now, until I blab more the end of the actual chapter anyway, Lol.**

**Oh yeah, Unknown Person 838, here's you're virtual cookies for a good guess. Not quite right though, but I should've mentioned that it would be a character whose POV I hadn't yet done. My bad.**

-Chapter 7-

Perry's Musings

(_The Flynn-Fletcher backyard, after the last day of the first week of school_)

(Perry's POV)

Surprisingly, today brought an interesting break in my usual schedule. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I actually beat Phineas home. During the school year, my battles with Doof are briefer than they are in the summer. This is because he has to pick Vanessa up from school. Charlene works on weekdays, so she's out of the house and doesn't want Vanessa alone at home, but the bus always messes up somehow when Doof asks for Vanessa to be dropped off at DEI. (I'm surprised this hasn't inspired an inator yet. It's only a matter of time, though.) This leaves Doofenschmirtz with no option but to pick Vanessa up each day. This means that on school days I am usually at home within an hour of my boys getting home, and I'm there to take part in their invention for the day. Today though, I arrived home to find only Ferb, Buford, and Baljeet in the yard.

Phineas and Isabella were nowhere to be seen, though at the time I only noticed Phineas' absence. I was a little worried, as I almost never see Phineas or Ferb without the other. Ferb didn't seem worried about anything though, and about 15 minutes later, Phineas arrived with Isabella, much to my surprise. Isabella almost never gets any time alone with Phineas. I've observed enough to know about Isabella's feelings for Phineas, as well as how frustrated his obliviousness sometimes makes her. She's even confided in me a couple of times when she was feeling down and no one else was around. When they arrived, they both seemed very happy, but also rather flustered. Buford started teasing them, and promptly received death glares from both Ferb and Isabella. This whole situation took me off guard. I normally know everything that's happening in the lives of my owners, but this seemed to have come out of nowhere. Is Phineas finally developing feelings for Isabella? I hope so, for both their sakes. They would make such a cute couple, and they work great together. And Isabella has had feelings for Phineas for so long, too.

As I'm thinking back on this now, I recall a vague memory from Monday night this week. I was sleeping peacefully, when voices partially woke me in the middle of the night. I was tired from my battle that day, and I tried to just continue sleeping, so I didn't catch much of the conversation. But still, I think I recall hearing something about feelings, as well as bits of conversation that mentioned a girl. I suppose I didn't recall this sooner because there was nothing to go with those bits of conversation, until now. I'm going to have to listen extra closely to my owners now, though. I need to keep apprised of Phineas' situation. I will do anything I can to look after my owner. He and Ferb are my closest friends, even more so than Doof. They are family, and I would do anything for them.

**A/N (Again): Sorry for not updating yesterday! Busy day. Because of that and the shortness of this chapter, I will probably post another chapter later today. If not, definitely tomorrow.**

**For this chapter, I wanted to give a glimpse of what happened after the little soda-shop trip, and I also wanted to write for Perry, cause he's awesome. It seems to me like he would have picked up on Isabella's feelings for Phineas. He obviously cares a lot for the boys, despite being gone a lot, as the only times when he really gets serious with Doof after the first few episodes are when the boys are actually in some kind of danger. (Journey to the Center of Candace and Ready for the Bettys) So I wanted to write a bit from his view, kind of functioning at the same time as a third person view of what's going on.**

**Next chapter will be the first half of another paired chapter, which I believe will be the last set of paired chapters. Later, there will be one more pair of chapters that is paired, but not as directly. It'll make sense when we get there. Until then, JRuss93 is out. Peace!**


	8. A Revelation

-Chapter 8-

A Revelation

(The last day of school)

Phineas' POV

Finally, it was time. The classes, the tests, the days of walking up and down the cold stone halls of Danville Junior High were over. Summer had officially begun. Isabella and I were at our lockers, clearing our belongings out for the last time, as next school year we would be going to high school, a whole new adventure. But that was something to think about later. Ferb, Buford, and Baljeet were still in their last classes it seemed. Isabella and I had finished our final test in good time, so we were back at our lockers before the rest of the gang. I was actually glad for that, I liked sharing this moment with her. It was like we were finishing Junior High together, as a team. A few months before, I would've felt really strange thinking that. I'd grown accustomed to this feeling I get around Isabella, it seemed. It didn't surprise me when I felt this way, or had these wayward thoughts. It was like I'd grown accustomed to this feeling, and actually come to like it.

Yet, that was a whole new kind of weird. Especially considering that I still didn't fully understand why I felt this way. I'd gotten used to it, but still didn't really understand it. I think I have a theory though. I think maybe, just maybe, I've begun to like her as more than just a friend, even more than a best friend. The idea seems so strange to me though. I've never really thought much about romance before, and when I have, it's been scientifically, trying to create it like an experiment or project. I was never very experienced with this side of things, the part that deals with feelings. That's changed a lot, ever since Ferb convinced me to start listening to my heart, though I still have a long way to go before I really understand this. I've just never thought about romance as it might pertain to me. It would explain my feelings pretty well, but I feel there's something missing. Maybe it's my scientific mind that tries to analyze everything to the point of leaving no doubts, or maybe it's my heart telling me there's something that needs to happen before I really understand. I just don't know.

As I finished clearing out my belongings and putting them in my backpack, I looked over at Isabella, who was just getting the last items out of her locker.

She turned and smiled at me. "Whatcha doin?" she asked.

"Just trying to get my head around the fact that we're actually finished with middle school! And that summer's finally back!" I said.

"I know, right? Isn't it great? I can't wait to see the first invention of the summer! I bet it'll be awesome, all your inventions are!" She replied, smiling at me. _She has such a cute smile._

I smiled back. "We'll have to come up with an invention that'll kick off this summer like no other! After all, this is our last summer before high school! We've gotta make the most of it!"

Isabella giggled. "Phineas, you find a reason to make the most of every summer. Every day, in fact. Your attitude about life is so great. That's one of the things I lo… uh… Iike most about you!" She said.

"Thanks, Izzy!" I replied, grinning. Although I was happy about the compliment Isabella had just given me, my brain was also working on something that had just caught my attention. _That was strange. She sounded like she hesitated when she said "like". But why? Was she unsure of what she was about to say, or maybe she was going to say something else? _I realized that, a year ago, I would never have noticed a little thing like that, at least not enough to make anything out of It. But these past few months, I'd noticed more things like that. Little hesitations and slip-ups when Isabella is talking. That made me wonder if these things never happened before, or if they did and I never noticed. I'd think about that more later.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Isabella asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realized that I had been standing there for a couple minutes, and that Isabella had finished taking out her belongings and had closed her locker.

"Oh, just something that's kinda been on my mind lately. Nothing to worry about. Hey, do you think Ferb and the others are done with their tests yet?" I said, hoping to change the subject.

"I dunno. I hope they're not too much longer," she said, and then smiled at me. "Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with you, Phineas. But I also can't wait to get this summer started!"

"I enjoy hanging out with you too, Isabella," I said, smiling at her. "But I agree with you. But who says we have to wait to start summer? You can help me figure out what we're gonna do today! We've gotta come up with something amazing!"

She got a huge smile on her face as her eyes lit up. "You want me to help you decide what to do today?" She asked.

"Yeah, it'll be great!" I replied, still smiling.

Before we could begin planning though, I saw someone coming towards us who I recognized, but had hoped not to see again. "Uh oh, I think that's that guy from way back on the first day of school. The one who asked you out and wouldn't take a hint when you said no," I whispered to Isabella.

"Oh, great. Well, maybe he won't notice us, or at least won't cause any trouble," Isabella replied.

"Let's go on outside, just in case. I'm sure the gang will be able to find us. I'd really rather avoid another scene, especially with just the two of us around," I said.

"Alright, sounds good," Isabella replied.

We headed outside, and the other guy either didn't notice us or didn't care. It didn't really matter either way. We walked down the main walk of the school towards the street, past the basketball court and the baseball field, where some kids were kicking off the summer with a quick game of ball.

"So Isabella, what do you think we-" I began, when the loud crack of a bat hitting a ball caught my attention, followed by a cry of "Heads up!" from behind us. I turned to see a baseball coming towards us. My brain automatically ran through the mathematics of its flight. _Judging by the arc and speed… It's going to hit Isabella!_

My eyes widened and without thinking I immediately shoved Isabella aside, moving her out of the way, but placing myself in the path of the ball. The hard white sphere impacted the side of my head above my eyes in a flash of pain, knocking me to the ground, where I skinned the heel of my left hand.

"Oh my gosh! Phineas, are you alright?!" Isabella asked, coming to my side and looking very worried.

"Ugh… yeah, I should be alright in a minute. I'm just a little dazed. I bet I'll have a headache, though," I replied. _Man, that hurts, though._

"Good. Let's see what I can do about that headache," she said, going into her take-charge mode, developed through her experience as a fireside girl troop leader.

Just then, Ferb arrived, followed by Buford, who was carrying Baljeet under his arm. "Phineas, what happened? Are you alright?" Ferb asked in a concerned tone.

"A baseball came flying out of nowhere and hit me in the head!" I said.

"It only hit you because you pushed me out of the way," said Isabella. "Now, I'm about to fix Phineas up, so give me a little room."

She proceeded to pull a first-aid kit out of her bag, which I recognized as one of the modified kits we made to help the fireside girls get their "Revolutionizing first-aid" patches. She gave me an icepack, which Ferb and I had made to instantly freeze due to a chemical reaction activated with the press of a button, and had me hold it to my head while she gently cleaned my left hand. It stung a bit, and my head was throbbing still, though the icepack was helping. I hardly noticed either of these pains, as I was distracted by the fact that Isabella was holding my hand as she bandaged it. I felt that warm feeling in my chest again, and my heartrate was accelerating. I noticed Isabella was blushing a little, and I wondered if she was feeling the same way as I was. I decided to try and dispel the awkwardness of the situation.

"Well, it looks like that 'Revolutionizing first-aid' patch really paid off, huh?" I said, grinning at first, but then grimacing as my head continued to throb.

"Yes. Yes it did," she replied, smiling. "Now, let's get you to the nurse's office to make sure you're alright."

"Alright," I replied, and proceeded to stand up, with Isabella helping me. "Let's get going, then! No need to delay summer any longer than necessary!" I said, grinning.

Isabella giggled, then her expression changed, looking more serious and maybe a bit… nervous? I wondered what could be bothering her. "Hey guys, why don't you go on ahead? No need to keep you guys waiting on my account. Ferb, you can go ahead and get everyone together for today's project, I should have it decided by the time we get home. Isabella, would you mind still coming with me to the nurse's office, just in case?" I said. _If I get her alone, maybe she'll tell me what's up._ Isabella looked surprised when I said this, and Ferb raised an eyebrow at me, indicating that he was both surprised and curious, but he simply gave me his signature thumbs-up and turned to leave, motioning for Baljeet and Buford to come, both of whom also looked surprised for some reason, I wasn't sure why.

After they left, we started walking towards the school. After a moment I turned to Isabella and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's on your mind?" I asked.

She looked taken aback by the question. "W-what? What do you mean?" she asked, sounding nervous.

"I can tell something's bugging you, Isabella. And you seem nervous. You know you can talk to me about anything, Izzy," I replied.

"Well," she began, "it's not really something bugging me, but there is something I wanted to say."

"Alright, shoot," I said, a little worried by her hesitance.

"I-it's just, I wanted to say, um," Isabella began, blushing, "thank you for saving me back there. That was really brave of you. And really sweet of you to protect me."

I felt myself become really warm and happy inside at her praise, and I could tell I was blushing as I replied. "You're welcome, Izzy. Anytime. I'd do anything for you."

Isabella stopped walking, and I followed suit. She turned towards me, smiled shyly and blushed even more. "I… I also wanted to give you something," she said. Then, she took me completely by surprise by leaning over and quickly kissing me on the cheek. I felt like a jolt of electricity had surged through my body, and immediately parts of my brain shut down while other parts went into overdrive. _She, she just… kissed me! Why did she do that? I guess, judging by the circumstances, it was meant as a thank you for protecting her._ I was vaguely aware of a sound nearby, but my brain barely registered it. _And _what _was that feeling? It felt like a blast of electricity, and it also seems to have multiplied that warm feeling in my chest. I can also tell that my heart is pounding and I'm majorly blushing. _I felt a pressure pulling me forward, and I moved with it. _What is going on here? Why am I reacting so strongly? It must be because of the feelings I've been developing for her. That kiss was a very disconcerting experience, but I think… I liked it._

I finally snapped out of my reverie and noticed that, instead of standing in the schoolyard, I was being pulled toward the school building by Isabella. "Whoa, what? Where am I?" I asked.

Isabella giggled and replied. "About time you came to. You were totally unresponsive to me for a minute or two. I had to practically drag you to get you moving." _Wow, I was even more out-of-it than I thought. _"It's not much further now," she said.

I realized that my head had mostly stopped hurting, and I honestly really wanted to get to our summer as soon as possible. "You know, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. I don't think I need to see the nurse. I'd rather just get summer started!" I said.

"Hmmm…" Isabella began, sounding hesitant. "Alright, but if there's any sign of your injury causing you trouble, we take care of it. Got it? I'm worried that you'll overdo it and make things worse," she continued.

I felt warm inside knowing how much she cared about me. "I promise, I'll be careful Isabella," I said.

We glanced quickly at each other, both of us blushing. Isabella was still holding my hand, even though she no longer needed to guide me. Rather than remove my hand, I turned it a bit so I could hold her hand as well. It felt nice, like the two of us were just going through life, side by side. More and more I realized, my previous theory about my feelings was likely correct. I tightened my grip on Isabella's hand a little and smiled at her, and she returned the smile. Then, we continued on our way. _This is gonna be the best summer ever._

On the way home, I thought over what had happened earlier when Isabella kissed me. As I tried to look at it from a scientific viewpoint to better understand my reaction, the more I realized that method couldn't explain it. _There's nothing in science that would explain why I had such a strong reaction to the physical contact of Isabella's lips on my cheek. The reaction came purely from my heart. And I don't mean that muscle in my chest that pumps blood through my body. _ _I mean the intangible part of me that helps make me who I am, that tells me what to feel and how to act, if I'll listen to it. The part that I have now learned cannot be coldly explained, categorized, or predicted by science. That's right. I, Phineas Flynn, inventor extraordinaire, have just admitted that there is something that cannot be handled with science. A big admission for me, to say the least. Still, I feel good having admitted it, as if my heart had been wanting me to admit it for a while, but I had refused. Now, though, I can rest easy and enjoy an extraordinary day of summer._

(Present Time)

That day certainly was a huge step. If I'm honest with myself, that was the day when I really realized that I have feelings for Isabella. But there were still more events of importance. Our first invention of the summer, though completely awesome, one of our best in fact, did not have any important impact on our relationship.

The next day, we got some bittersweet news. Our parents had surprised us, and we were taking our yearly trip to England early, in just a couple days. Most of our time those days was spent preparing and packing. In addition, we would be visiting Grandpa Clyde and Grandma Betty Jo after leaving England, a two and a half week trip all together.

I asked If Isabella could come along, like she sometimes does on our trips, but she wasn't allowed to, because her mom was taking her on a long trip to see her relatives in Mexico and Jerusalem, and they were leaving a couple days before we would get back. All together, she would be gone for over a month! We went almost half the summer barely seeing each other. I wanted to make a pair of cellphones like the ones we made for Candace a few years before so we could keep in touch. But we simply didn't have the chance, as mom kept us busy, and by the time I thought of it, we didn't even have 38 minutes to spare.

After Ferb and I got back from our trip, we continued our routine of inventing, but I felt like my ideas and inventions were a little sub-par. Going so long without seeing Isabella, longer than I ever had since I first met her, I just didn't feel quite up to the task, like my inspiration and motivation were incomplete. Which I suppose in a way they were. Still, I kept to my motto of _Carpe Diem_, and did the best I could, considering the circumstances. Finally, 50 days into our 104 day summer vacation, Isabella made it back, and I promised myself I'd make the most out of our reunion…

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, to make up for the delay and short chapter. This is, as I said before, part of another paired chapter. Also a very important step for Phineas, but we're not done. Several chapters left yet! See you all next time for Izzie's viewpoint!**

**P.S. I hit 10 reviews! :D Thanks again to everyone who has left feedback on this story!  
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	9. Courage

**A/N: Really sorry for the delay in update, internet was on the fritz for a few days, then went out completely a few days ago, just got it fixed today. I wasn't able to so much as put up an explanatory note. However, barring further complications, this story will be back to its daily updates. Also, I'll put up another chapter tonight, to make up for the delay. I'll shut up until the end of the chapter now. XD**

-Chapter 9-

Courage

(The last day of school)

Isabella's POV

I could hardly believe it was over. The day-to-day routine of classes, homework, and tests, with inventing and building in between, had ended. And not only that, but Junior High was now completely over! Next year, my friends and I would all be in high school. A whole new experience to face, but I won't have to face it alone. I'll have all my friends by my side.

The school year had been amazing. I'd gotten to spend a lot of time with Phineas. Going between classes, we'd just talk, sometimes about Phineas' inventions, sometimes about school and our teachers, and sometimes about nothing in particular. I was just happy to get so much time showered with undivided attention from Phineas. It's been wonderful.

Phineas and I were at our lockers for the last time, clearing out our belongings, officially ending Junior High. Ferb, Buford, and Baljeet were still in their classes, I guess. Phineas and I got done with our tests pretty quick. I was glad to be sharing this moment with Phineas. Finishing Junior High together. _I wonder if Phineas feels the same way. He's certainly seemed to notice me more lately. Could he really be starting to see me as more than a friend? I didn't expect things to change so suddenly, but I'm glad they have. Maybe something will finally happen between us this summer!_

I had almost finished clearing out my locker, when I turned toward Phineas, who had already finished with his locker, and I saw he was looking over at me. I immediately started to feel nervous, but reminded myself to just keep calm and be me. I smiled at him. "Whatcha doin?" I asked.

"Just trying to get my head around the fact that we're actually done with middle school! And that summer's finally back!" He said.

"I know, right? Isn't it great? I can't wait to see the first invention of the summer! I bet it'll be awesome, all you're inventions are!" I replied, smiling at him.

He smiled back. "We'll have to come up with an invention that'll kick off this summer like no other! After all, this is our last summer before high school! We've gotta make the most of it!"

I giggled. _He's so enthusiastic and optimistic about everything! It's so cute. Uplifting, too!_ "Phineas, you find a way to make the most of every summer. Every day, in fact. Your attitude about life is so great. That's one of the things I lo… uh… like most about you!" I said. _That was close. Even if he is starting to like me, I'm not ready to tell him how I feel. I… I want to hear it from him first, if I can. I want to know that he really likes me, without it being in response to my telling him my feelings._

"Thanks, Izzy!" He replied, grinning. Thankfully, he didn't seem to catch my slip-up. I finished clearing out my locker, and then closed the door and turned back to Phineas, who was still in the same spot, looking thoughtful. This was odd, as Phineas is normally active when he's thinking, not completely still.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" I asked Phineas.

"Oh, just something that's kinda been on my mind lately. Nothing to worry about. Hey, do you think Ferb and the others are done with their tests yet?" He said. He seemed to be telling the truth, but he seemed nervous, like there was something he was intentionally not saying. He changed the subject a bit quickly, too. I decided to leave it be, though. I think he'd have told me if it were important.

"I dunno. I hope they're not too much longer," I said, and then smiled at him. "Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with you, Phineas. But I also can't wait to get this summer started!"

"I enjoy hanging out with you too, Isabella," he said, smiling at me. "But I agree with you. But who says we have to wait to start summer? You can help me figure out what we're gonna do today! We've gotta come up with something amazing!"

I got a huge smile on my face and my eyes lit up. "You want me to help you decide what to do today?" I asked. _Oh my gosh, that'll be awesome! Normally it's just Ferb that helps him plan. I'm gonna get to plan a whole project with Phineas!_

"Yeah, it'll be great!" He replied, still smiling.

Suddenly, Phineas' face darkened a bit. "Uh oh, I think it's that guy from way back on the first day of school. The one who asked you out and wouldn't take a hint when you said no," Phineas whispered to me.

"Oh, great. Well, maybe he won't notice us, or at least won't cause any trouble," I replied.

"Let's go on outside, just in case. I'm sure the gang will be able to find us. I'd really rather avoid another scene, especially with just the two of us around," he said.

"Alright, sounds good," I replied.

After we got outside, I looked behind us. No sign of the guy we were avoiding. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Phineas started talking as we continued walking.

"So Isabella, what do you think we-" he began, then stopped abruptly. I barely had time to wonder why before he suddenly shoved me aside, causing me to stumble and bang my knee. Barely a moment later, I see a flash of white come from the sky, followed by an ominous thud as Phineas dropped to the ground, landing hard on his left hand.

I felt cold rush through my veins as I rushed to his side. My knee throbbed a bit from the fall, but I barely noticed it at all. I was focused on nothing but getting to Phineas.

"Oh my gosh! Phineas, are you alright?!" I said as soon as I reached him.

"Ugh… yeah, I should be alright in a minute. I'm just a little dazed. I bet I'll have a headache, though," he replied.

"Good. Let's see what I can do about that headache," I said, needing to get my mind off of the fact that Phineas was hurt.

Just then, Ferb arrived, followed by Buford, who was carrying Baljeet under his arm. "Phineas, what happened? Are you alright?" Ferb asked in a concerned tone.

"A baseball came flying out of nowhere and hit me in the head!" Phineas said.

"It only hit you because you pushed me out of the way," I said. "Now, I'm about to fix Phineas up, so give me a little room."

I reached in my pack and pulled out a first-aid kit, one of the special ones Phineas and Ferb had made to help the fireside girls, myself included, to get our "Revolutionizing first-aid" patches. _It's about time one of their inventions came back to help them. They do so much for everyone else._ I activated one of the special icepacks from the kit, and had Phineas hold it to his head while I cleaned and bandaged his left hand. I felt myself blushing a little as I held his hand to bandage it. As I was finishing, Phineas spoke up.

"Well, it looks like that 'Revolutionizing first-aid' patch really paid off, huh?" he said, grinning for a moment before grimacing. His head must have still been hurting.

"Yes. Yes it did," I replied, smiling. "Now, let's get you to the nurse's office to make sure you're alright." I was confident in my first-aid skills, but I didn't want to take any chances.

"Alright," he replied, then proceeded to stand as I helped him. "Let's get going, then! No need to delay summer any longer than necessary!" he said, grinning.

I giggled, but then couldn't keep my lighthearted expression from slipping as the thoughts in the back of my head came to the forefront of my mind. _Phineas protected me when he pushed me out of the way, and could have gotten seriously hurt doing so. I really want to thank him properly, but not with the whole gang around. There's something else, too._ I came out of my thoughts as I heard Phineas talking again.

"Hey guys, why don't you go on ahead? No need to keep you guys waiting on my account. Ferb, you can go ahead and get everyone together for today's project, I should have it decided by the time we get home. Isabella, would you mind still coming with me to the nurse's office, just in case?" he said.

I was quite surprised, as Phineas rarely sends Ferb off on his own, let alone the entire gang. I don't know if he's done that since the time we had to split up during our trip around the world. Not to mention he said that right after I was thinking that I wanted to talk to him alone.

Ferb, Buford, and Baljeet looked surprised as well, but Ferb just gave his signature thumbs-up and left, motioning for Buford and Baljeet to follow. As we started to walk toward the school, I wondered if Phineas knew I wanted to talk to him, and if that was why he sent the others on ahead, but I dismissed the idea. I couldn't remember him doing anything like that before.

My assumption was proven wrong only a moment later, as Phineas turned towards me and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's on your mind?" he asked.

I was quite taken aback by his question. I totally didn't expect him to notice that something was bothering me. "W-what? What do you mean?" I asked nervously.

"I can tell something's bugging you, Isabella. And you seem nervous. You know you can talk to me about anything, Izzy," he replied. _That is true. He's always been there for me, even when he's been oblivious to my feelings._

"Well," I began, "it's not really something bugging me, but there is something I wanted to say."

"Alright, shoot," he said, sounding a little worried by my evasive answer.

_Alright, here goes._ "I-it's just, I wanted to say, um," I began, blushing, "thank you for saving me back there. That was really brave of you. And really sweet of you to protect me."

Phineas blushed as he replied. "You're welcome, Izzy. Anytime. I'd do anything for you."

I felt really warm and happy inside hearing him say that, and felt my resolve strengthen a bit. _Okay Isabella, who knows when you'll have a better chance than this. Now or never._

I stopped walking, and saw Phineas come to a stop as well. I turned towards Phineas and smiled, and I could tell I was blushing even more. I felt really nervous, but pressed on. "I… I also wanted to give you something," I said, then leaned over and quickly kissed Phineas on the cheek.

My heart was beating hard from nervousness about how he might react. He didn't react in any way I would have expected. He simply stared straight ahead, eyes slightly widened with surprise.

"Phineas?" I said. No response. "Hello, Earth to Phineas!" Still nothing. _Nice going Isabella, you broke his brain!_

I smiled and blushed as I took in the situation, that Phineas' reaction was caused by my kissing him. _It remains to be seen if this is a good thing or not, though._ I grabbed Phineas' hand and begun pulling him towards the school. Thankfully, he moved along with me without difficulty.

As we got close to the school, I felt Phineas' steps falter for a moment. "Whoa, what? Where am I?" Phineas asked.

I couldn't help but giggle at his confusion as I replied. "About time you came to. You were totally unresponsive to me for a minute or two. I had to practically drag you to get you moving. It's not much further now."

"You know, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. I don't think I need to see the nurse. I'd rather just get summer started!" Phineas said.

"Hmmm…" I said hesitantly. I was worried that the blow to the head might have done more than just give him a headache, but I also knew that trying to keep Phineas away from summer would be even harder than beating Candace's patch-collecting record. "Alright, but if there's any sign of your injury causing you trouble, we take care of it. Got it? I'm worried that you'll overdo it and make things worse," I continued, conceding.

"I promise, I'll be careful Isabella," he said.

We glanced quickly at each other, both of us blushing. I realized I was still holding Phineas' hand, even though I didn't need to guide him anymore. I was deciding whether or not I should let go, when I felt Phineas shift his hand a little, gripping mine. It felt nice, but I was still a bit nervous. I still didn't know if he was showing me affection as a friend, as he had in the past, or if he finally saw me as more than a friend. I felt Phineas' grip on my hand tighten a little as he smiled at me, and I realized that things were great either way. If he saw me as more than a friend, that would be amazing, but even if he still saw me as just a friend, I couldn't pick a better friend to spend my summer with. _This is gonna be the best summer ever._

(Present Time)

That day was really something else. I had never been able to work up that much courage around Phineas before. And looking back, his reaction to my kissing him was actually pretty funny. I've never seen anyone freeze up like that before. I was hoping to build off of that incident, and find out where exactly Phineas and I stood then. However, any plans of doing so were brought to a halt the next day.

Phineas told me that his yearly trip to England had been moved up, and they were leaving in a couple days, during which Phineas would be pretty busy. I also found out that my mom was taking me to see our relatives in Mexico and Jerusalem. Now, I was certainly happy at the opportunity to see my family, but I was still a little annoyed, because we left just a couple days before Phineas would finally get back. I'm not the kind of girl that freaks out when she can't be around the guy she likes all the time, but considering that I might _finally_ be getting through to Phineas after all this time, surely a little frustration was justified. I mean, adding our trips together, we spent almost half the summer apart!

Still, I made sure to enjoy the trip and the rare opportunity to see all my family, and I put my worries about Phineas to the back of my mind. I was really looking forward to seeing Phineas again, and I wasn't disappointed by our reunion…

**A/N: Not too much to say here, this is Izzie's side of the last chapter. Also, this should be the last of the directly paired chapters. Next chapter will keep moving the plot, but will now be in General POV, rather than following directly with Phineas or Isabella. However, there will be at least one more chapter for each of their POVs before the story is over. (Still several chapters to go, but getting there. The story will likely be done within another week or so.)  
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**Also, I now have over 10 reviews and follows, and have gotten my first author and story follows, so I'm psyched! :D A big thanks to all who have followed, favorited, and/or reviewed!**


	10. The Reunion

**A/N: Another chapter as promised! Note, the song doesn't belong to me really, it's a modified version of "Let's Spend Half a Day" from Bulls-eye (If I recall correctly) And I haven't said this yet, but obviously I do not own Phineas and Ferb! Otherwise this wouldn't be fanFICTION, it'd be canon! XP Actually, that's not necessarily true. If I did own PnF, there are other fics I might make canon instead. XD**

-Chapter 10-

The Reunion

(_Day 50 of summer vacation_)

(General POV)

It was a beautiful summer day in Danville, the temperature was just right, the sun was shining, and there was a light breeze. Yet, even with all of this beautiful nature, there were two young teenagers in town who paid it absolutely no heed.

On this day, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro and Phineas Flynn were finally going to be reunited, after being separated for almost half of the summer. Phineas waited eagerly in his front yard, having gotten a message from Isabella saying she would be home in a few minutes; finally back from her long trip to visit family.

As Isabella's car pulled up and Isabella got out, Phineas could hardly contain his excitement at finally seeing Isabella again. The two friends locked eyes, and immediately ran to each other, embracing tightly, as if to make up for the month and a half they had been apart.

"Oh Phineas, I'm so happy to see you!" said Isabella.

"Isabella, I missed you so much!" Phineas replied.

Isabella's mom, Vivian, walked up to the two friends and began rambling in her usual cheery manner. "Oh, how sweet. Phineas, it's been so long! Look how much you've grown since the last time I saw you. Oh, yes! I need to unpack the car. I'll take care of the unpacking, Isa, you go play with your little friends. And make sure you get something to eat!"

Isabella giggled. "Okay mom, I will! Thanks!"

Vivian left to unpack the car, and Isabella and Phineas walked towards Phineas' house. They entered the backyard, to find it empty.

"Where is everyone?" asked Isabella.

"Ferb, Buford, Baljeet, Candace, and Perry all went to the sci-fi/fantasy convention," Phineas replied.

"That's today? Why didn't you go? I thought you loved that convention," said Isabella.

Phineas smiled at her. "I didn't want to wait any longer to see you than I had to."

Isabella smiled back and blushed a little. "Aww, that's so sweet! Well, I'm glad you stuck around."

"Me too," Phineas said. "Now that you're back, we can make the most of this half of the summer together!

"I don't know about you, Phineas, but I suddenly feel like breaking out in song, with no discernible music source!" said Isabella.

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Phineas replied.

Suddenly the sound of an electric guitar playing started coming from nowhere, soon joined by a tambourine.

_I don't wanna sound halfhearted, I think you already know_

_ I couldn't be there when we started, but that was half a summer ago_

Phineas and Isabella began running around the yard and dancing to the music.

_ We could make half an invention, or take in half a view_

_ Or take a rocket halfway to the moon  
><em>

_ Let's take half a summer to be together_

_ Let's make half a summer last forever_

_ Just takes half a summer to make our dreams come true, yeah_

_ When I spend a half a summer with you!_

Phineas and Isabella joined hands and started spinning in circles.

_ Let's take half a summer to be together_

_ Let's make half a summer last forever (With you!)_

_ Just takes half a summer to make our dreams come true, yeah_

_ When I spend a half a summer with you!_

_ With youuu!_

_ With youuu!_

_ With youuuuuu!_

As the song came to a close, Phineas and Isabella were slightly startled by the sound of clapping. They turned to see Ferb and the Fireside Girls walking into the yard, clapping, as Baljeet quickly put an electric guitar out of sight and Buford hid a tambourine behind his back.

"How long have you guys been standing there?" Isabella asked, grinning.

"Long enough," Ferb answered, as the Fireside Girls took turns hugging and greeting their chief.

After the Fireside Girls finished, Ferb and Baljeet each gave Isabella a hug.

"It's good to see you again," Ferb said.

"Good to see you too, Ferb," Isabella replied.

Isabella turned towards Buford, who was leaning casually against the tree in the yard. "Didn't you miss me, Buford?" she asked.

"Nah," Buford replied.

"Oh, come on, not even a little?" said Isabella.

"Nope. Well… fine. Maybe a little. But just a little!" Buford said.

Ginger tapped Isabella on the shoulder to get her attention, then spoke up. "Sorry to bail so soon chief, but we have to get going. We were running a fundraiser downtown, and we took a break to come see you, but we have to get right back. It's great to have you back though, chief!"

"It's great to be back! I'll see you all at tomorrow's meeting!

As the Fireside Girls left, Phineas turned to Ferb. "Hey, that reminds me, I thought you guys were at the convention today. Did it end early or something?" he said.

"Well, they did have the main presentation early, and we decided to leave right after that," Ferb explained.

"How'd you get Buford and Baljeet to agree to that? They love that convention!" Phineas asked.

"Well…" Ferb began, then started rippling.

(Earlier that day)

"Well, that was a most excellent presentation," Baljeet said, as he, Ferb, and Buford walked out of the convention auditorium.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go find some more nerds," said Buford.

"You know, Isabella gets home today. Perhaps we should leave early and go welcome her back," Ferb suggested.

"Well, I do not mind leaving. I have already taken the Space Adventure trivia challenge today and defended my title," Baljeet said, smiling proudly.

"Nuh uh. I ain't leaving until I've given a wedgie to every nerd here," Buford replied.

"Buford, it has been over a month since Isabella left, and you cannot give up a few wedgies to go see her?" Baljeet retorted.

"Are you arguing with me, nerd?" Buford asked, walking right up to Baljeet.

At this point, Ferb stepped over to Buford and pinched a nerve cluster in his neck, rendering him unconscious.

"Ferrrb!" Exclaimed Baljeet.

"Well he _was_ all up in your face," Ferb replied.

Buford groaned as he stood up, a bit dizzily. "What happened?" he asked.

"We were just about to leave to go and welcome Isabella home," Ferb answered.

"Oh, okay," Buford said, as the three friends walked towards the exit.

(End flashback)

"You know, bro, I couldn't see any of that. But judging by how long you were rippling, I'm guessing it took a little doing," Phineas said.

"Just a little," Ferb replied.

"Well, I'm glad you guys made it!" Phineas said.

"You know, it is a good thing you're back, girly. Maybe now Phineas will cheer up and his and Ferb's inventions will go back to normal," Buford said to Isabella.

"What do you mean 'back to normal'?" Isabella asked.

"Ever since Phineas and Ferb got back from their trip, Phineas has seemed a bit down, and his inventions have lacked a certain… _Je ne sais pas_. Maybe now that you're back, things'll pick back up," Buford explained.

Isabella turned to Phineas. "Really? You weren't at the top of your game while I was gone?" she asked.

"Well, now that I think about it, I guess I wasn't. I really did miss you, Isabella," Phineas said, blushing a little.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Isabella said happily. "Well, what do you want to do today, now that I'm back?" she asked.

"Well, I was actually thinking maybe you'd like to decide what to do today, Isabella, since you've been gone for so long," Phineas replied.

"You want me to pick what we do today?" said Isabella. "Well, there is actually something I'd like to do today. It's not a big project, though."

"Well, what is it?" Phineas asked.

"Well, I've been thinking about the fact that we're all going to start high school after this summer, and I realized that we've all been wearing pretty much the same styles of clothing since we were, like, 10. So, I think we should all go out together and each pick out a new outfit for high school!" Isabella replied.

"Wait, you want us to go clothes shopping? Isn't that kinda girly?" said Buford.

"I think it sounds like a great idea!" Phineas said. "I think it would be fun to pick out a new style. Something that still suits us, but more high school-y!"

"It does sound like a worthwhile experience," Ferb added.

"Fine, I'll go. But only cause I'll be stuck here by myself if I don't," Buford conceded.

"Alrighty! Let's all head to the Googolplex mall, then!" Isabella said, grinning.

"Hey, we can take the hoverbikes we made last week!" Phineas suggested enthusiastically. "And we can bring Perry along! Hey, where's Perry?"

"Well, he was here when we got back. He must have wandered off since then," Ferb said.

"Oh well. I guess that's normal, though!" Said Phineas.

The gang all walked over to the Flynn-Fletchers' garage, and brought out five hoverbikes. One was orange with a platypus-shaped steering wheel, one was green with a wrench-shaped steering wheel, one was blue with a calculator-shaped steering wheel, one was black with a skull-shaped steering wheel, and one was pink with a bow-shaped steering wheel. There was also a red one with a Ducky Momo-shaped steering wheel, as well as a small teal one with a fedora-shaped steering wheel (Phineas thought it would be fitting, for some reason), for Candace and Perry respectively (Perry's had an autopilot feature), but they left those in the garage.

Isabella's face lit up when she saw the pink bike. "You guys made me one, too?"

"Of course!" Phineas said. "I figured you could try it out when you got back. We even stored it away early so it wouldn't disappear like most of our other inventions."

At that moment, a green beam of light zipped out of the sky and hit Isabella's bike, turning it into a pile of doonkleberries.

"Umm, everyone saw that, right? It wasn't just me?" said Phineas.

"Well, that was improbably coincidental," said Ferb.

"Aww, it was such a nice bike, too," said Isabella, looking a little disappointed. "And how do I get to the mall now?"

"Well," Phineas began, "you could ride with me, if that's alright with you. The bikes can easily hold two."

"Sure, that would work!" Isabella said cheerfully, smiling.

"Alright, let's get going then! Oh, I almost forgot, you need a helmet!" Phineas ran back into the garage and came out with a helmet that looked just like the top of Isabella's head, complete with a bow. "When life's never dull, wear a hull for your skull!" Phineas said, grinning.

While Isabella was putting on her helmet, Ferb walked over to Phineas. "You know, she _could_ ride Candace's bike," he whispered to Phineas, giving him a knowing look.

"I figured Candace wouldn't want anyone else riding her bike," Phineas whispered in reply.

"You know, you could at least come up with a better excuse," Ferb said, smirking.

"Shut up, Ferbo," Phineas said, smiling embarrassedly.

"Alright, I'm ready to go!" said Isabella.

The gang all climbed onto their bikes, with Isabella riding behind Phineas and hanging on to him to make sure she wouldn't fall off, and they all started off towards the Googolplex mall.

**A/N: And so begins the last flashback arc! This one is, I believe, also two chapters, but not paired like the others. After this flashback and a miscellaneous chapter, we will finally be getting into the climax/wrapup of this story, but it's a handful of chapters yet. See you all next time!**

**JRuss93 is out.  
><strong>

**Peace!**


	11. Heinz's Musings

-Chapter 11-

Heinz's Musings

(Doof's POV)

"CURSE YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS! Why does everything explode so easy, anyway?

"I wonder where that beam went. My inators always seem to fire off just one beam before they explode. I wonder where it went. Oh, I hope it hit something important! Well, whatever it is, it's a pile of doonkleberries now.

"Sheesh, first Perry the Platypus shows up late, and then he had the nerve to thwart me quicker than usual. Almost like he had some reason for wrapping up early…

"Oh, that's right! I need to pick up Vanessa from Charlene's house today. I completely forgot! I wonder how he knew… Oh yeah, I trapped him with an enlarged version of my calendar! I stuck him on the little box that marks today's date, where it had 'trap Perry the Platypus' written, and he must have read the other things that were written in the box.

"Maybe he wasn't being as rude as I thought. I can't believe I'm saying this, but, THANK YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS!

"Of course, now I've got to clean up the mess Perry the Platypus made when he blew up my inator, and I need to change into a new lab coat. This one's a mess now. I sometimes wonder how I recover so easily from explosions day after day. Well, I guess practice makes perfect. That's what mother always told Roger when he was learning to play kickball. Back in Gimmelshtump, in the days of my youth…

"Wait, wait, I don't have time for an emotionally scarring backstory! What am I thinking, anyway? Perry the Platypus isn't even here to listen!

"My, what a mess this place is. One of my favorite chairs got turned into a pile of doonkleberries, too! Though that chair just hasn't been as fun since Perry the Platypus zapped it with the ugly-inator way back when. In fact, I think it's more useful this way.

"Ugh, I've been rambling for so long, I don't even have time to clean up before I leave! I'll just have Norm take care of it when I get back. I'd have him do it now, but he stayed over at Charlene's house yesterday, said something about wanting to bond with his big sister.

"Whatever, I'll just change my lab coat and get going. Although, I might keep this one around instead of cleaning it. Maybe if I wear a lab coat that looks like it's been through an explosion, which it has, people will know I'm an evil scientist, instead of assuming I'm a pharmacist.

"Looking at this place, I take back the nice things I said about Perry the Platypus earlier. I guess I'm back to CURSE YOU, PERRY THE PLATYPUS!

"…I just realized, I could've used the rebuild-my-lair-inator to take care of this mess from the start. I can be such a dummkopf sometimes."

**A/N: Another "Musings" Chapter, but this one is just for fun, it really has no bearing on the plot. Next chapter will be back to it though. ...Looking at the clock, I realize this is technically the day after I meant to post this. Oops. XD**


	12. A New Style

-Chapter 12-

A New Style

(_Day 50 of summer vacation, still._)

(General POV)

The afternoon sun had just passed its peak as the gang parked their hoverbikes at the Googolplex mall and everyone got off, with Phineas taking Isabella's hand to help her down. Isabella smiled and blushed at this.

"Man, these bikes are the coolest! I think these were your best idea yet, Ferb!" Phineas said after everyone had gotten off. "I mean, they're fast, they have a collision avoidance system, and they're even handprint-activated, so you don't have to worry about losing your keys! And they run on used vegetable oil and solar power, so they're environmentally friendly! Boy Ferb, when you come up with a project, you do it right!"

"Well, when one lacks in quantity, one tends to make up for it in quality," Ferb replied.

The gang proceeded to head into the mall.

"Do we even know which store we're going to?" Buford grumbled. "There's a ton of stores in this place, and I don't wanna spend all day walkin' my feet off."

"Perhaps your feet would not get tired if you floated around like a little woodland pixie?" Baljeet teased.

"I'm pretty sure I told you to never mention that again," Buford said, giving Baljeet a wedgie.

"We're going… there," Isabella said, pointing to a new store that was conveniently called "A New Style". "That looks like exactly what we're looking for!"

"Well, let's go, then!" said Phineas, leading the way.

They entered the store, which was comprised of a wide center lane for customers to walk down, with smaller lanes branching out among the clothes racks, men's clothing on the right, women's on the left, with a half-circle of checkout registers surrounding the doorway, and the fitting rooms located at the back of the store, on either side of the center lane.

"So, let's all split up, and then meet up at the back of the store once we've changed into our new outfits?" Isabella suggested.

A chorus of agreement followed, and the gang split up to pick out their new clothing styles.

Phineas was the first to pick his outfit, get changed, and arrive at the meeting place. He wore a long-sleeved, button-up shirt, the same shade of orange as his trademark shirt. The shirt was left unbuttoned, showing the white t-shirt underneath. He also wore dark blue jeans, the same color as his usual shorts.

Ferb arrived shortly after. He wore a dark green sweater-vest, which had crisscrossing lines of darker green making a diamond pattern, over a cream-colored sweatshirt that matched his usual shirt. He also wore dark purple jeans, also matching his usual outfit.

"Hey Ferb! Looking sharp! And it matches your old outfit! I didn't even know they made jeans that color," said Phineas.

"This store does have quite a nice selection. I rather like this outfit," Ferb stated.

"How do I look, bro?" asked Phineas.

Ferb blinked twice and gave his signature thumbs-up, along with a small grin.

Ferb's eyes focused momentarily on something behind Phineas, and he fought to keep a smile on his face. "I… just remembered, there's something I wanted to check out. I'll be back in a minute," Ferb said, then walked back towards the racks of clothing, sending back Buford and Baljeet, who were just coming to the meeting place.

"Huh, that was weird," Phineas said.

"Hey, Phineas. Whatcha doin?" said Isabella from behind Phineas, in her trademark cute manner.

Phineas turned around, and his eyes widened a little with surprise when he saw Isabella. She was wearing a sleeveless pink dress that came down to a few inches below the knees, with a tie around the neck and a brown belt, and an unzipped denim jacket, along with her trademark bow, as well as a pair of pink shoes and long white stockings that came to a couple inches below the knees. Phineas thought she had never looked cuter, yet, there was something more. Phineas realized that he didn't just think she was cute anymore. He thought she was beautiful.

Isabella was a bit taken with Phineas' appearance, as well. She had always thought he was cute, though she loved him more for his heart than anything. But now, she thought he looked handsome, not just cute.

"Wow, Isabella, y-you look great!" Phineas said, blushing noticeably.

"Aww, thanks! You too, Phineas!" said Isabella, also blushing.

"Umm, I-I think we can say that our mission to pick out suitable new styles for high school was a success!" Phineas said, smiling shyly.

Isabella giggled. "I agree," she said.

After a few moments of silence, both friends started to feel awkward, so Isabella spoke up again.

"Hey, where's Ferb? I thought he was here before me."

"Oh yeah, he was, but he said he had to go do something. I wonder what's keeping him?"

Just then, Ferb walked up, Buford and Baljeet following behind him. Buford wore light brown jeans and a black sweater that had a white skull shape on it, with two lacrosse sticks behind it like crossbones. Baljeet wore a white button-up shirt with black pants and a blue bowtie, as well as a mini calculator attached to the left sleeve.

"You guys made it! I like the new outfits!" said Phineas.

"Some things never change, hmm, Buford?" Isabella remarked.

"Hey, I changed! My old shirt just had a skull shape on it. This one has lacrosse sticks, too! I call them Lacrossebones", Buford said proudly.

Phineas, Isabella, and Baljeet all groaned simultaneously, and Ferb facepalmed. "Lacrossebones? Really, Buford?" said Baljeet.

"Oh, come on! You all would've thought it was funny if Phineas had said it," Buford replied, pouting.

"I like my outfit as well," Baljeet began. "Wearing a shirt tucked in like this, it is infinitely more difficult for Buford to give me a wedgie."

"You just wait. I'll find a way, nerd," Buford said, glaring at Baljeet.

Suddenly, Candace showed up and ran over to the group. "What are you guys doing here?! Trying to create another clothing line or hit toy or something?" she asked with her usual "busting" demeanor. "And why is Isabella suddenly fashionable?"

"What do you mean, 'suddenly'?" Isabella asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, Candace, we were just here to pick out new outfits, since we're starting high school this fall," said Phineas. "Sorry, but we're not doing a big project today. I mean, if you wanted, maybe tomorrow we could-"

"No, no, that's fine!" Candace interrupted. "You just take your off day, I'm gonna go hang out with Jeremy, Stacy, and Coltrane."

Candace started to leave, but turned back and smiled at the group. "Nice outfits, though. You all look like you're more ready for high school than I was at your age. I'm proud of you all," she said. "You didn't hear that from me, though," she added with a wink, then proceeded to leave.

"Bye sis! And thanks!" Phineas replied, grinning. "Alright, gang, let's change back to our old outfits, pay for these, and go home! I'll bet my mom has snacks!"

The gang responded with three cries of "All right!" and one thumbs-up.

**A/N: And so ends the next-to-last arc of the story. This flashback chapter didn't end by going back to the present like most of the others, but it'll make sense why next chapter. Also, thanks to Fanfiction and DeviantArt user HalyPooh, who in addition to being my awesome Beta reader did the main designing for Isabella's outfit. I'm really not particularly good at designing girl's clothes, so the help was appreciated. Hopefully I described it alright. See you all next time for another chapter! Nearing the end, just 3-4 chapters to go!**

**JRuss93 is out.  
><strong>

**Peace!**


	13. A Confession

-Chapter 13-

A Confession

(_Back in the present, day 51 of summer vacation, near midnight._)

(Phineas' POV)

I remember that day like it was yesterday… well actually, it was yesterday, so that could have something to do with it. Today was relatively uneventful, Isabella was busy with the fireside girls all day, Baljeet was at a summer class, and I didn't see Buford all day. I think he might be spending the day with Biff. Yesterday, when he thought no one was in earshot, I heard him say he felt like he had been neglecting his goldfish lately. Ferb and I used the day to relax and to trick out our new outfits a bit.

Mom, knowing how much I like to tinker with machines and make things, sewed several pockets of varying size on the inside of my shirt so I could carry around various small tools, as well as pocket any interesting parts I might come across. She's sweet like that. Ferb and I modified the pockets for optimal capacity, and did the same for our jeans pockets. Ferb always has been great at optimizing space, so now our pockets have almost unlimited capacity, but weight would still be an issue. So, Ferb and I made several more of our personal anti-gravity devices, and put one in each of our pockets, so anything we put inside them will be nearly weightless!

I'm getting off track now, though. I'm up here to figure out for sure how I feel about Isabella. Her birthday is tomorrow, and I don't think I can throw her a proper birthday party with this issue hanging over me. But after all of this reminiscing, I've finally come to a definite conclusion.

I, Phineas Flynn, have most definitely developed feelings for Isabella. Feelings far beyond typical friendship.

…It felt really good to finally admit the feelings that I've had for nearly a year now. This realization lent itself to another question: does she like me back? As I thought about it, my mind flashed back to the summer when we all turned 11, which I could remember almost flawlessly thanks to the system we had devised for remembering everything, and my brain made connections to several things, things Isabella had said, that I had somehow missed before or misinterpreted.

_Hey, Phineas. Whatcha doin'?_

_ That helmet looks so manly._

_ You had me at "Our grandchildren."_

_ Hey, Phineas, do you want to go to the Night of the Falling Stars Girl's Choice Dance with me?_

_ Are you sure there's nothing, or no one, that's more adorable?_

_ Oh Phineas, this cruise is so romantic!_

_ Did you hear that? Aunt Isabella! That means I'm gonna marry Phineas!_

_ I got it!_

_ Let me get this straight. You want me to go to the city of love with you?_

_ Well that's not the Phineas Flynn I fell in…to this situation with._

_ Whatcha doin'? Whatcha doin'? What's the day's activity? Whatcha doin'? Whatcha doin'? By any chance could it include me?_

_ Phineas, do you want to go see the new Stumbleberry Finkbat movie with me?_

_ Gladly!_

_ I think your new language is onderful-werb._

_ So, what you're saying is… you think I'm cute?_

_ A romantic dinner for two! Want a sip, Phineas?_

_ Yes, very cool!_

_ There's also the tradition of kissing someone special at midnight._

...Oh boy.

How the heck did I miss all of that? So often, she was totally open about the fact that she liked me, about as obvious as she could be without walking up and saying it right in my face. Wow, it's a wonder she didn't totally give up on me. I really hope she still has feelings for me. I think-

My thoughts were interrupted as an upside-down green haired head popped out from the branches above me. "Whatcha doin'?" said Ferb.

"Aah!" I yelled, falling backwards in surprise. Thankfully, Ferb caught me and pulled me back. "Don't do that to me, man!" I said as Ferb made his way to sit beside me on the branch.

"Sorry Phin," Ferb began, "but what are you doing out here so late? It's 11:30!"

"I like Isabella," I said plainly.

Ferb squinted one eye at me. "Of course you like her, she's your best friend," he said, but it sounded questioning, as if he were prompting me to contradict him.

"No, Ferb," I began, "I mean I _like_ her. As in, way more than as a friend. More than even a best friend."

Ferb still looked skeptical. "As in…?"

"As in, I'd like her to be my girlfriend, if she feels the same way about me," I said.

Ferb was quiet for a moment, looking genuinely surprised, which almost never happens. "So, you finally figured it out? That's great, Bro!" he said, grinning.

"Well, yeah. And I figured out that Isabella liked me at least three years ago, but does she like me now? I mean, three years is a long time. What if she's given up on me?" I said, starting to worry a bit.

"Phineas, I don't believe she has given up on you. Her feelings for you are too strong for that. And also, you have been showing definite signs of liking her for nearly a year now, so there is that to consider," Ferb said.

"I hope you're right," I said, and listened to the soft rustling of the leaves around me, stirred by the gentle, peaceful night wind as I thought over what Ferb had said. "Wait, you knew Isabella liked me? Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

Ferb looked like he was resisting the urge to facepalm for some reason. "Phineas, to be blunt, you were about the only one who _didn't_ know. I didn't say anything to you because I didn't think you were ready. It wasn't until fairly recently that you showed signs of liking her that way, and even then you didn't understand what you were feeling."

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right. I feel terrible for being oblivious to her for so long, though. I mean, how much stress did I cause her over these years?" I said.

"It's best not to dwell on what you can't change, lest it distract you from changing what you can," Ferb replied. His eyes then seemed to focus on something out in the yard for a moment. "In fact, bro, there is something you can do that I'm sure would make up for every moment of time you were oblivious towards Isabella."

"Really?" I replied, hopeful at the thought of being able to make up for my obliviousness. "What can I do?"

Ferb smirked at me. "I think you can figure it out. Tell me later how it went." And with that, he was gone, and I heard him drop to the ground below.

Confused, I called after him. "Wait, where are you going, Ferb? Tell you how what went?"

A moment later, another familiar upside-down head popped out of the branches above me, long black hair hanging down. "Whatcha doin'?"

**A/N: And thus is the first chapter of the final part of the story! Nearly there. Not a lot of traffic over the last few chapters. I just hope that those who've been with this story from the start are still for the ending. And whether you leave feedback or not, I am grateful to all of you who take the time to read my story!**

**Now, a little challenge. If anyone wants, you are welcome to leave a review or send a PM with your guesses as to what episodes the memories from the list of recollections are from. The first one is just Isabella's catchphrase, but the rest are from specific episodes. There is only one pair that is from the same episode, the rest are all from different episodes. Cyber-muffins to anyone who gets at least 5 of 17, cyber-cookies to anyone who gets at least 10 of 17, cyber-fudge to anyone who gets at least 15 of 17, and all of the above to anyone who gets all 17! I trust y'all not to use google or wikipedia! ;)  
><strong>

**JRuss93 is out.**

**Peace!**


	14. Determination

**A/N: Just to clarify, this chapter is happening at the same time as the last chapter, not picking up where the last chapter ended.**

**Also, a quick response to the two reviews from last chapter:**

**Dreadwing216: Lol, a little of both, as you'll see next chapter.**

**Neo762: Great job on the challenge! Your score was... 15 or 16 out of 17! You nailed almost every one of them perfectly! However, the "I got it" was not meant to be from My Fair Goalie (But I can see how it would fit, so I can't really count it against you, hence the variable.) it was from the part in Candace's Big Day where Phineas says that he's gonna have Candace plan his wedding, then tells Ferb to make a note of it and Isabella shouts "I got it!" from off screen. The other one was the "Romantic dinner for two" one. What Do It Do was a good guess, with the whole romantic dinner thing, but the line is actually from Doofapus, when they make the solid-liquid converter smoothie machine. Anyway, great job on the challenge! You get cyber-fudge, the highest tier of cyber-desserts! And a side of cyber-cookies. XD**

**As to your other comment, I don't think I really thought about it much, but the first time he was lost in thought, and the second time he was distracted in addition to what's mentioned in this chapter. Lol, my first official plothole! XD Yay!**

**Alright, with that done, on to the chapter!**

-Chapter 14-

Determination

(_Back in the present, day 51 of summer vacation, near midnight._)

Isabella's POV

That was just yesterday. The next day was less eventful; I was busy with the fireside girls, between meetings and catching up with them. Naturally Adyson teased me about yesterday, asking if I'd already gotten another "Help Phineas and Ferb" patch. The girls had been teasing me about Phineas even more often ever since he started acting different around me. On that note, I really wish I knew for sure how he felt. He's sure seemed like he's started to like me that way, but I can't be sure. On one hand, he's shown little signs sometimes over the past couple years, but on the other hand, none of those times were on the scale that things have been for the past year.

I need to know how he feels about me. Yes, I promised myself that I wouldn't tell him my feelings unless he figured it out first or we finished our freshman year of high school, but I don't need to tell him my feelings for him in order to find out if he has feelings for me. He… he's probably not up at this hour, but I'm going to at least go over there. Just on the off chance that he's somehow still up. Besides, I need to get my "Going for a Midnight Stroll" patch anyway.

Suddenly, I felt a shiver go through my spine. I focused for a moment, then glared in the general direction of the Flynn-Fletcher household. _I heard that, Ferb.__  
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I slipped out of my room and headed downstairs, where my mom was on the couch watching a late-night show. Good, I was hoping she'd still be up. I was pretty sure she'd let me go out if I asked right and wasn't gone for long, and I really didn't want to sneak out without her knowing, anyway. "Isa, darling, what are you doing up so late?" my mom asked.

"Um, I was going to step out for a little bit. I was going to get my 'Going for a Midnight stroll' patch…" I said hesitantly.

"You know, _hija_, Phineas is probably not up this late," She replied casually.

I felt myself blush a little with embarrassment. _My mom knows me too well_. "I know, mom, but I really need to talk to him, and I thought there might be an off chance he's still up. Please?" I said, giving my best cute/innocent look.

My mother sighed, which I knew was a good sign. "Well, alright. But I want you back here in an hour, and I'm going to watch you until you get into their backyard. I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, getting up and starting towards the door.

_Yes!_ I ran over and hugged her. "Thank you, mom!"

"No problem, dear."

We stepped outside and I walked across the street, toward what could either be a pointless stroll or a defining moment in my life.

I quietly eased the gate open, not wanting to wake anyone up. I looked towards the tree, and the full moon illuminated a figure- no, wait, two figures, one with a triangular head, the other with a rectangular head and square nose. My heart sank a little. _He's awake, but Ferb's with him. That kinda figures._ I almost lost my resolve then, but I pulled together. _I need to do this. I can't chicken out just because Ferb is here. Maybe he'll catch on and find an excuse to leave Phineas and me alone._

I made my way towards the tree as quietly as I could, and when I was almost to the base, I saw Ferb glance towards me. I almost froze up right there, but then I heard Ferb say something to Phineas, and then he dropped out of the tree. By now I was at the trunk of the tree, and Ferb came down right by me. I was startled, but thankfully didn't make any involuntary noises.

Ferb and I fist-bumped, a satisfied look on his face. "Thanks, Ferb," I whispered, grinning at him, his use of my catchphrase earlier forgotten. Ferb simply winked and gave me a thumbs-up, along with a little smile, before heading back to the house. And for Ferb, that was saying a whole lot.

I scaled the tree as quickly and quietly as I could, stopping in the branches just above Phineas. I took a moment to calm myself, and then, hanging on to the branch I was on, I hung upside-down so that my face was right in front of Phineas'.

"Whatcha doin'?" I asked.

**A/N: Alright, this chapter was shorter than the last, but there wasn't as much to be done here. The two POVs have now finally met, and the next chapter (Which is the next-to-last chapter) will be in General POV. See you all next time!**

**JRuss93 is out.  
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**Peace!**


	15. Resolution

-Chapter 15-

Resolution

(_Day 51 of summer vacation, near midnight_)

General POV

"Aaah!" Phineas shouted in surprise. He reared back and almost lost his balance, but Isabella caught him just in time. "You know, you're the second person who's done that to me tonight," Phineas said as he tried to calm his heart rate. It proved more difficult than expected due to his proximity to Isabella.

"Sorry!" said Isabella, giggling a little as she dropped down to sit by Phineas. "So, Whatcha doin' up so late?" she asked.

"I've been… thinking about something. Something I need to talk to you about, in fact," he said thoughtfully. "What about you? What are you doing here so late?"

"Well, I… I actually needed to talk to you about something, too," said Isabella.

"Alright, what is it?" Phineas asked.

"Well, I'd actually rather you go first. You did say you needed to talk to me about something, right?" Isabella replied, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Yes, yes I did," Phineas began. "Alright, here goes. For about the past year or so, I've been having this strange feeling when I'm around you, and at first I didn't know what it was, just that it was nice. Over time, I got more used to it, and slowly started to understand this feeling, even as it got stronger. Tonight, I've been thinking about this past year, because I was determined to figure out exactly why I felt this way around you, and I finally have." Phineas stopped to collect himself and catch his breath.

"And?" Isabella asked, hardly daring to breathe, the look in her eyes simultaneously more nervous, and by far more hopeful than ever before.

"And, I finally realized why I felt like this around you," Phineas began again, a little calmer now, and continued, looking directly into Isabella's hopeful blue eyes. "I've been feeling strange around you because I like you, Isabella. I like you as more than a friend, or even a best friend. And if you feel the same way about me, I would really like to be more than just your best friend."

The hopeful look that had been on Isabella's face immediately changed to one of sheer joy, and she squealed as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, Phineas! I _do_ feel that way about you! You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that!" she exclaimed, shedding a few tears of joy.

Phineas was a little surprised at first by her reaction, but soon returned the embrace, holding Isabella tightly as the branches of the tree swayed and the leaves whispered with the wind, as if the tree itself were congratulating the two teenagers that it had watched over for years. "I'm so glad, Isabella. After I realized that you probably had feelings for me years ago, I was afraid you might not like me that way anymore after so long," he said.

"Oh, Phineas, of course I still like you," Isabella said, not breaking their embrace, content to just sit in the tree, hugging Phineas, happier than she could remember ever being. Then, what Phineas had said fully sank in. "Wait, you knew that I liked you?" Isabella asked, reluctantly pulling back from their embrace to address Phineas face-to-face.

"Well, yeah. When I realized I liked you, I thought back and I suddenly remembered a bunch of different times from a few years back where you were hinting that you liked me. I couldn't believe how oblivious I had been. I mean, seriously, how did I miss all that?" Phineas said.

"Well," Isabella began, "you were usually wrapped up in some project or another. Even during all the projects you did for me, your attention was either divided or occupied. And to be fair, we _were_ only 11. It's no surprise that romance wasn't your focus."

"Yeah, I suppose so. I still feel a little bad, though," Phineas said.

"Don't feel bad, Phineas. Whatever may have happened before, now that I know you like me back, I couldn't be happier," Isabella said, smiling sweetly at Phineas.

Phineas' eyes widened slightly as he realized something. _That must have been what Ferb meant when he said I could make up for my obliviousness._ He thought.

Phineas smiled sweetly back at Isabella. "I'm really glad you're happy, and that you like me back. And now, there's… something I'd like to give you," he said, blushing during the last sentence.

Then he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Isabella's eyes went wide, and she blushed bright red, before settling into a slightly dreamy, trance-like state. "Um, Isabella? You in there?" Phineas said, waving his hand in front of her face. He blushed as he fully realized that he had just kissed Isabella on the cheek, it being the first time he had kissed a girl.

"Hmm, what?" Isabella said, snapping out of it. "Did you just… kiss me?" she asked, blushing.

"Yes, yes I did," Phineas said, grinning. "You know, we should probably get down from here, before it gets any darker," he said.

Phineas dropped down from the tree, landing deftly, and Isabella started to climb down but slipped and fell, only to be caught by Phineas. He put her down after a moment, both of them blushing a bit.

"So, what now?" Isabella asked. "I mean, like are you, um, my boyfriend now?" she continued, still blushing.

"Well, first there's one thing I need to do. I need to talk to your mom and make sure it's okay with her. I want to do this whole relationship thing right," I answered.

"Alright, that sounds great!" Isabella replied, giving Phineas a quick hug, a huge grin on her face. _I can hardly believe that Phineas Flynn is finally going to be my boyfriend!_ She thought happily.

_I can't believe Isabella's going to be my girlfriend soon. I don't think I've ever been happier._ Phineas thought, a little dreamily.

Realizing that they had been in the tree for a little while, Phineas started to wonder how late it was. Looking up, he noted the position of the moon as the clouds passed by, carried by a gentle breeze and illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. After ascertaining the time, he grinned and looked over at Isabella. "Happy birthday, Izzy!" he said.

"Happy birthday?" Isabella replied, a little confused. Then her face lit up in realization. "Oh, it's past midnight?" she asked.

"Yep! At least I'm pretty sure, judging by the moon's declination," he said.

"Umm, I kinda hate to go, but it's really late and I need to get back home. I told my mom I'd be home just a few minutes from now," she said, and gave Phineas one last hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking towards the gate.

"Alright! See you later!" Phineas called after her, grinning.

Isabella smiled back at him. "Yes, yes you will," she replied.

**A/N: And here it ends. Almost. There will be an epilogue, because I felt like this ended too suddenly, but it may take me a few days to post it, because I will also be adding an extended A/N to the end of the epilogue with information on future stories I will be doing on this site, in case anyone is interested. It will take a few days because I need to get organized and figure out for sure just what I am going to do. I can, however, say that any other PnF stories I do here will probably have more fluff, since Phineas and Isabella would probably already be together, whether the story be canon with this one or canon with AYA. (Which I haven't seen, I have only seen revealed or leaked info, which is already more than I prefer, but I know enough to write fairly well in canon with it.) but said stories would probably have their own plot, rather than being shipping-centric like this one.**

**Also, sorry if anyone was disappointed this didn't end with a kiss on the lips like most Phinbella stories seem to, but I didn't feel that was really the right ending with how the story and characters have built up to this point.**

**Lastly, a note to Unknown Person 838 and anyone else it may concern, anyone is still welcome to try the challenge from Ch. 13, just leave a review or PM your guesses, and I'll PM your results. Or, if you do it before I post the epilogue, I'll put results there.**

**See you all in a few days!**

**JRuss93 is out.**

**Peace!**


	16. Epilogue

**A/N: I'm really sorry this has taken so dang long to get out. There were reasons for part of the delay, but I'll talk about that later. For now, the true conclusion to this story.**

-Epilogue-

(_Day 52 of summer vacation, barely_)

General POV

Phineas walked into the dark living room of his house, tired but yet happier than he could remember ever being. His thoughts were occupied, both by his fatigue and by Isabella. But mostly the latter. As such, as he trudged through the living room, he did not notice the people sitting in the darkness until the living room lamp came on with a click.

"Phineas, you are sooooo busted," said a voice that Phineas knew well. Turning, he saw his sister in her pajamas, grinning widely at her brother. Looking around, Phineas saw his mom, dad, and brother, all looking at him with varying degrees of amusement.

"You're up awfully late, sonny," Lawrence said with a slightly teasing tone.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Phineas said. "I, um, had a lot to think about, and then-"

"We saw the whole thing, sweetie, though we couldn't hear anything from inside. Candace woke us up," Linda said, sounding amused. "Honestly, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro and I have been wondering if you would catch on to Isabella's feelings for you soon."

"You guys knew, too? Is there anyone _else_ who knew about this?!" Phineas said, sounding slightly exasperated.

"As I said before, you were about the only one who _didn't_ know," Ferb said, smirking.

"You know, most boys would be in trouble for visiting with a girl in their backyard at midnight," Linda said in a mock-stern voice.

Phineas' face turned red and he started to stammer. "I-I-um-"

Linda chuckled at Phineas' reaction and continued. "But, I know your intentions were good, so we'll let it slide. Try not to make a habit of it though."

"Um, y-yeah, o-okay," Phineas said, still a bit embarrassed.

"Well, it's rather late. Goodnight sweetie. And congratulations," Linda said, hugging Phineas and heading off to her room.

"Yes, congratulations, son," Lawrence agreed, also giving Phineas a hug and following after Linda.

"See, little brother, I can't bust you, even when you're caught red-handed!" Candace said. Phineas laughed at this as Candace hugged him and went off to bed.

"Well, all's well that ends well, isn't that so?" asked Ferb, smiling at his brother.

"Yes, yes it is," Phineas replied, smiling back. "I don't know how I can thank you, Ferb. You were a huge help in all of this. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"No problem, bro. That's what family is for."

"Yes. Yes it is."

(_Across the street_)

Isabella walked across the street from the Flynn-Fletchers' house to her own, grinning ear to ear, not even noticing the slightly chilly breeze that had just picked up in the night air. As she got to her porch, she noticed her mother waiting for her.

"Well dear, you look awfully happy. Did it go well with Phineas?" Vivian asked.

"Yes. Yes it most certainly did," Isabella replied happily.

"Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear that. Let's go and get a midnight snack, you can tell me about it, and then you need to get some sleep before tomorrow. Or, later today, I suppose," Vivian said happily, rambling a little in her usual fashion as she opened the front door and went in.

Before heading in, Isabella walked to the edge of the porch and looked out at the clear, beautiful night sky, just as the red-haired inventor across the street was doing the same thing from his bedroom window.

They both thought about that moment, the moment when they admitted their feelings for each other. The moment when they started a brand-new adventure, an opportunity to be seized, greater in its own way than perhaps any of the countless times they had seized the day throughout the years.

"What an amazing moment," they both said at the same time.

**A/N: Alright, sorry again this took so long. At first, I was trying to get in contact with someone about an important question regarding the next story I was planning to do on here. Then our internet was out for like two weeks or so. Now I've been sick for the past few days, and still am, but I had the energy to finally get this up. As for my next story on this site, the jury is still out. There is a much larger, more adventurous story I was planning to write, the idea for which I have had for over a year, but it's a story I plan to convert to an original book after finishing it, but I need to find out if there are any guidelines or restrictions for doing so. When I know for sure what I am going to do, I will post one more chapter on here with a teaser or something, so that those who are following this story but not following me as an author will get an alert on this if they are interested.**

**All that aside, this is officially the conclusion of this story. I hope you all enjoyed it!**


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